Canadian Foodgrains Bank
Canadian Foodgrains Bank Growing Projects are a unique form of grassroots fundraising in Canada. Growing Projects started on the Prairies and now are found in almost all Provinces. There are approximately 140 such projects in Ontario alone, from .1 acre garden plots of popcorn or pumpkins to 200+ acre corn, soybean or wheat fields. Land and crop inputs are usually donated with labour and machinery being supplied by a local committee. Sometimes in an urban / rural partnership a large urban church will raise money for land rent and crop inputs while the rural partner will provide the machinery and labour to raise a crop.
The Canadian Foodgrains Bank is made up of 13 church partners. Each church group will have partners in countries, which require food aid. If a region requires food aid a partner there will contact a Foodgrains Bank member and assistance will be arranged. Where appropriate, grain will be shipped from Canada. More often the grain grown here will be sold and the money used to help in each unique situation. For example where rice is the staple of the diet there is no point in us sending corn but we can sell our corn and use the money to purchase rice locally which helps the local economy in two ways. The Foodgrains Bank also encourages local development programs with food for work programs. An example of this is reservoir building projects. Local people are paid with food to build water reservoirs. In climates where there are rains for three months straight, and then it is dry for three months irrigation water is extremely helpful, especially when the three month rainy season fails to materialize.
Canadian Food Grains Bank Blog
Ugali Growing Project photo gallery
Ugali Growing Project
The Ugali Growing Project is located near Ingersoll, On. Ugali is the name of a corn-based porridge that is a staple of many African diets. This project began on 17 donated acres on Hwy 19, south of Ingersoll. We are heading into our 14th season this year. The project is now 35 acres on 3 donated fields including the original 17 acre plot. Corn, soybeans and wheat are grown in a three-year rotation. All crop inputs are donated by local agribusiness with labour and machinery supplied by our local committee. Our small informal group is made up of many church denominations and some with no church affiliation. In addition to growing crops the Ugali project hosts a very successful dinner each fall, with the menu reflecting the unique culinary experiences of one of the countries benefiting from the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. It is an opportunity to become familiar with the music and culture of lands apart from our own. Various other events are held, such as barbeques, planting and harvest celebrations, as well as local talent music nights at Stonecroft Folk.
Everyone involved with CFGB projects gets more out of the experience than they put in. Please check out Foodgrainsbank.ca for more information.