Farm Credit Canada (FCC) and Regina Food Bank (RFB) are working together to combat food insecurity and promote indoor farming in Saskatchewan.
It was announced Wednesday morning that thanks to a donation from the FCC, the Regina Food Bank will be installing modular produce growing containers on Winnipeg Street in Regina.
Food bank CEO John Bailey said the FCC provided $250,000 to purchase the containers. The container is 42 feet long and has four growing racks that can grow shallow-rooted produce such as lettuce, tomatoes and strawberries.
The containers have the potential to produce up to 600 heads of lettuce per week, according to a news release. This will ensure the food bank has a steady supply of fresh produce year-round. Prior to Wednesday's announcement, the food bank had been sourcing produce from other sources.
Bailey said there are plans to eventually expand to multiple containers.
“When it goes live, it could be very large, because you can scale up to four of these units in one pod and then fill many pods on site,” Bailey said. added.
The food bank noted that aiding in this effort is the recently announced partnership formed with the Growth Board, comprised of Economic Development Regina, the University of Regina, One Hoop and the City of Regina.
“Projects like this are exactly what we want the Growth Commission to continue to deliver for Regina: innovative, unique and partner-driven,” said EDR President and CEO Chris Lane. “EDR is excited not only about this great community project, but the future of indoor agriculture, as it shows Regina is poised to be a leader in the new field of food production.”
Mr. Bailey also thanked Farm Credit Canada for its support.
“This is a huge step forward for our food bank in terms of being able to control how we get the food we need, and it’s a great partnership with the FCC. We literally couldn’t have done it without the FCC, so we appreciate their support. This is a huge step forward for us, not just by providing food for the food bank, but knowing that it will advance agricultural sustainability and innovation in our region. It's a really exciting prospect for us, and FCC is a really great partner in that.”
“The challenges before us require new outlooks, new ideas and inspiring innovation. FCC is proud to support this container farming project, which ensures fresh, nutritious food is grown locally and available to those in need,” said FCC President and CEO Justin Hendricks. “The Regina Food Bank is leading the way in innovating how food is produced and delivered, proving what's possible when we work together to address hunger in our communities.”
