Community Connections Society (CCS) of Southeast B.C unveiled its new Urban Farm to the public on Nov. 16 at Pop Price Park in Cranbrook.
The hydroponic farm will grow more than 600 heads of lettuce in a controlled indoor environment year-round. Produce will be grown on tightly stacked shelves filled with nutrient-rich water, ready to harvest in four to six weeks.
Lead grower Marley Sansom said CCS is aiming to increase the amount of fresh produce available in Cranbrook in the winter months to help alleviate food insecurity, but also make communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change as outdoor growing conditions continue to fluctuate unpredictably.
"It'll be really interesting to see how the style of farming can be duplicated or expanded to supply other communities, just to make our food system more resilient to changing environments or more extreme weather," she said." It's not going to ever replace the whole food system, but having this as a supplement to kind of withstand this extreme weather is really important."
Sansom has a master's degree in urban agriculture and green cities and she helps manage Cranbrook's public produce garden.
Lettuce will be the farm's primary crop for the foreseeable future, but the team is considering expanding operations eventually to include more kinds of leafy greens like kale, spinach, arugula and herbs, and even strawberries and cucumbers further down the road.
Sansom said there are limitations to what the greenhouse can grow, since root vegetables like carrots or potatoes typically don't do well with hydroponic systems.
"We're able to produce a lot in a small space, but because of that we're limited to plants that don't grow tall," she explained.
A portion of the bounty will be distributed to local food recovery efforts like the Cranbrook Foodbank Society, Salvation Army, and Street Angels, and to school lunch programs. The remainder will be sold in order to pay for the farm's operating costs.
The farm is made up of two modular units, with space for an additional growing unit to be added if needed. Electricity and HVAC will be hooked up to the building in December, and eventually water. The water main isn't where city maps indicated it would be, and the project team has indicated it will have to dig into the street to get a water source, requiring further fundraising and grant funding.
Funding for the farm came from the federal goverment's Local Food Infrastructure Fund via the Ministry of Agriculture. CCS will also be directing funds from the upcoming Coldest Night of the Year walk on February 22, 2025, held annually to support individuals experiencing housing and food insecurity.
