Connect with food action this World Food Day
Today is World Food Day
Today we acknowledge World Food Day, which takes place annually on October 16.
World Food Day promotes awareness of hunger and action
for the future of food, people, and the planet.
What can you do to connect locally with food action?
- Check out what’s happening in your neighbourhood over at GoodFoodLink (find your local community groceries, gardens, resources and more!) (It might take a couple seconds to load)
- Learn about your local food sharing initiatives, where you can access food and/or volunteer
- Find and purchase locally grown/raised food and beverages this harvest season at the Savour Ottawa Buy Local Guide. If half of Ottawa’s households spent $10 more per month on local food, this would increase support to local farmers/processors by $27.7 million within a year! Can your household be one of them?
- Connect about your ideas for new community food projects in your area (community gardens, pollinator gardens, food forests, etc) – it’s a great time to start thinking about next year’s possibilities!
- Register for Just Food’s How to Start a Community Garden Workshop to learn more about initiating a food growing project in your neighbourhood.
- Attend an upcoming gardening workshop on growing food – Introduction to Fermentation, Indoor Edible Gardening, Edible Native Perennials and Selecting/Winter Sowing Native Perennials
- Volunteer your time at one of these organizations to transform our food system for all. Consider signing up to expand community seed libraries in all neighbourhoods, ready for Spring.
- Connect with the New Roots program to learn more about farmer training opportunities for New Canadians in 2024, available in multiple languages
- Read about the Nutritious Food Basket to see what the minimum cost of healthy eating is for individuals and families, compiled by Ottawa Public Health each year.
Dinner and Stories of Regeneration: Event at Just Food Community Farm – THIS Sunday Oct 1st!
Dinner and Stories of Regeneration: as part of Farm Fest:
Oct 1 – Happening THIS Sunday!
Farm to Table Dinner and Harvest Celebration with Chef Resa of Baccanalle!

Where: Just Food Community Farm | 2391 Pepin Court, Ottawa
(in Blackburn Hamlet, just East of Vanier)
When: Sunday, October 1st 2023
1:30 – Workshop (FREE for everyone as part of Farm Fest – please see details below)
3pm – Tour Chi Garden and Urban Fresh Produce
5:15 – Dinner inside Red Barn
Ticket Price: $40 + taxes
For schedule, more information and to buy tickets:
Click here
Hurry, there are a limited number of tickets available!
Just Food is happy to announce that Regeneration Canada will be presenting their final field-to-fork event of the season at the Just Food Community Farm on October 1st!
1:30pm – Free workshop for everyone: There will also be speakers from Regeneration Canada, Antonious Petro, Executive Director of Regeneration Canada and Joel Williams, soil health educator, who will discuss regenerative agriculture, equitable land access, community models and the socio-economic impacts that come along.
The price of the ticket includes the tour and meal:
3pm – Farm Tours and Discussion: The event will feature Urban Fresh Produce and Chi Garden, which both operate at the Just Food Community Farm. Chadwick Lewis of Urban Fresh and Sun Shan of Chi Garden will guide guests on a journey through their gardening spaces and discuss their experiences with urban food production and market sales.
5:15 – The event will conclude with a vegetarian family-style meal incorporating ingredients from Urban Fresh and Chi Garden, prepared by Chef Resa Solomon-St. Lewis of Baccanalle.
Please note:
– Free parking on site, and the farm is also accessible by OC Transpo Bus #25
– The Red Barn (and indoor accessible washroom) is accessed by elevator.
November 8, 2023 | How to Start a Community Garden – Online Workshop
Join us
November 8th, 2023 at 6:30 – 8:30pm
Learn about the steps involved in starting a community garden, including how to search for land, what is essential when starting a community garden, the support available, tips for organizing and much more!
Suitable for new gardens, or existing gardens looking to onboard new volunteer coordinators.
The attendance of at least one garden coordinator (or a member of the garden who is working on the proposal) at a How to Start a Community Garden workshop is a requirement in order to apply for funding through the Community Garden Development Fund (CGDF). The CGDF applicant must have attended a workshop in the past 3 years, as criteria and processes have changed throughout the years, and we encourage more than one to attend at a time.
To register please contact cgnstudent@justfood.ca – a confirmation email will be sent upon registration.
Please note: This workshop is being delivered in English. Should you wish to be added to a list to be informed when a French session is scheduled, please contact cgnstudent@justfood.ca.
Seed and Soil at Just Food Farm
10:30am-2:00pm
Just Food Community Farm is a seed and soil distribution site this year!
Do you face any barriers to accessing seed and soil? Register for the seed and soil program!
This program is open to anybody in Ottawa who faces any barriers to accessing seed and soil and has access to space to garden.
You can receive a minimum of 6 vegetable seed varieties. The seed is ready for organic growing, which means that they are free from any pesticides or other chemicals.
You can also receive approximately 160 litres of organic top-soil – enough to fill three blue / black recycling bins. This is about $40 worth of soil! This soil is high quality, full of nutrients, and chemical free. It can be used for your vegetable seed or other plants.
Visit https://rb.gy/mvrcw and fill out the registration form to register.
SeedLing Saturday Demonstrations – May 13 2023

May 13th, 10am-1:30pm
2391 Pépin Court, Ottawa
SeedLing Saturday is tomorrow! Enjoy seedling vendors, live music, and freshly made food! Ask your expert gardener and enjoy 5 live demonstrations on sustainable gardening practices from COG-OSO!
11:00 Test for Seed Viability
11:30 Plant & support a tomato
1200 Make Your Own Paper Seedling Pots
12:30 Soap spray & rinse a plant potted or plotted and infested with insects.1300 How to Buy Organic Seedlings/Plants
May 24, 2023 | How to Start a Community Garden – Online Workshop
Join us
Wed May 24, 2023 at 6:30-8:30pm
Learn about the steps involved in starting a community garden, including how to search for land, what is essential when starting a community garden, the support available, tips for organizing and much more!
Suitable for new gardens, or existing gardens looking to onboard new volunteer coordinators.
The attendance of at least one garden coordinator (or a member of the garden who is working on the proposal) at a How to Start a Community Garden workshop is a requirement in order to apply for funding through the Community Garden Development Fund (CGDF). The CGDF applicant must have attended a workshop in the past 3 years, as criteria and processes have changed throughout the years, and we encourage more than one to attend at a time.
To register please contact comms@justfood.ca – a zoom link to the workshop will be sent upon registration.
More workshops to follow in 2023.