Conestoga Acres – A Grassroots Conestoga College Based Food Initiative

Conestoga Acres is the soon-to-be blooming food garden located at the recently completed Conestoga College Cambridge Campus. It is inspired by the values upheld by the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable and the understanding that food is more than a branded container on a shelf in the aisle between paper towels and plastic cutlery.

The supportive response by members of Conestoga, students and staff, has been instrumental to getting this project off and into the ground. Many view this as an opportunity to do something productive on their lunch hour that connects them to the outdoors and provide a healthy balance in the work environment, while others enjoy the collaborative learning experience they would not experience otherwise. The group consists of gardeners and non-gardeners alike, with a goal to accomplish a production that will supplement individual food needs, community groups and contribute to the applied academic aspect of the Institute of Food Processing Technology, and Culinary classes in the School of Business and Hospitality.

The group is very much a grassroots effort as all necessary resources are being sought from local organizations and businesses. Seeds, tools and knowledge are being requested from the community to help us accomplish our goals, and complete our first season with a harvest that inspires the growth and continuance of Conestoga Acres long into the future.

Our mission is to promote a holistic approach to healthy food choices by providing a space where members of the Conestoga community have the opportunity to share and learn about sustainable gardening and food production, which is guided by the following principle and objectives:

1. Promote local sustainable food systems and urban agriculture
2. Encourage and educate participants to take control over their food choices and lifestyle practices
3. Provide sustainably grown produce to Conestoga's culinary classes, and Institute of Food Processing Technology
4. Reduce Conestoga's global footprint by growing food supply for individual consumption
5. Promote interdisciplinary cooperation between various programs by utilizing available resources to design, implement and operate the CA
6. Promote the growing of native and indigenous vegetable varieties

The overreaching goal is to provide an opportunity for people to physically get their hands on the elements of food, and grasp the nurture within nature.

Currently Conestoga Acres is administered by Jana Vodicka, Environmental Coordinator at Conestoga College. For any inquiries or if you would like to support this initiative, please contact Jana Vodicka at jvodicka@conestogac.on.ca.