In Victoria, BC, a group of young, eager gardeners wanted to improve food security and affordability. They decided to work together to help others produce and distribute edible crops, build low-cost garden beds, and access education about growing food locally.
The group incorporated Curbside Community Farms Cooperative in October, 2022.
By operating as a co-operative, the group knew it could invest surplus funds into buying bulk materials like soil and seeds for its members.
Curbside’s membership currently consists of the four founding members, but hopes to grow its membership. They want to provide early members with virtual and in-person gardening support, partnership deals with local businesses, and opportunities to learn new gardening skills through workshops.
Eventually, the co-op would like to build space for garden bed construction, finalize its automatic water dispenser prototype, and welcome established local gardeners as official co-op members.
Co-operatives First was pleased to provide Curbside Community Farms Cooperative with a Board Basics workshop to get their governance started on the right foot. Members said they have also taken the Co-op Professional online course which was valuable to their co-op education.