Benefits of Urban Agriculture for Cities Toronto x Nerima

Speakers:

Kazuyuki Sekiguchi, Head of Urban Agriculture Division, Nerima City Office will describe the vibrant community of urban farmers in this suburb of Tokyo.

Yoshimatsu Kato, Nerima Farmer and Director of Japan Agricultural Experience Farm Association. Born in the 12th generation of a farming family that has been in farming for 300 years since the Edo period. In 1996, Kato opened an agricultural experience farm where farmers teach local residents how to grow vegetables, which has since spread nationwide as the Nerima method.

Claire Pertulla (she/her) is the Food Justice Projects Coordinator at Malvern Family Resource Centre and manages Malvern Urban Farm, established in 2021. Malvern Urban Farm is a community farm increasing the availability of culturally appropriate, fresh foods in the community and giving community members opportunities to make extra income.

Sharene Shafie, Research Coordinator, Urban Farm Living Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University will share research on the ecological services that rooftop farms can provide. The Living Lab is in an ongoing collaboration with the City of Toronto on North America's first Green Roof Incentive Program.

Co-presented with the Centre for Studies in Food Security at Toronto Metropolitan University