More than 20 local farms will supply 74 schools with organic baskets this fall!
The Schools Take Root project aims to create awareness about local, organic food in Quebec schools by implementing the sale of organic vegetable baskets grown by local farmers as a fundraising event. This helps get children and their families interested in consuming healthy, local, and sustainable food, especially through the educational celebrations organized with each delivery. This year, 74 schools, located in 13 different administrative regions and representing over 30,000 students, are engaging in Schools Take Root campaigns. Schools Take Root provides an opportunity to make schools and families aware of the existence of local farmers (26 for 2018) with whom they can connect to get vegetable baskets on a more regular basis.
Among the 26 producers, all members of the Family Farmers Network, some have been working with Équiterre’s Schools Take Root fundraising campaigns for over two years.
Cadet Roussel, fermecadetroussel.org
Located in Mont-St-Grégoire, Cadet Roussel farm is the first farmland in Quebec to be protected in perpetuity and one of the first members of Équiterre’s Family Farmers Network. The 30 hectares of this family farm, which are used for heard farming, grain production, and market garden production, are now recognized as a social trust.
La Bourrasque, fermelabourrasque.com
Created in 2012 by two young entrepreneurs, La Bourrasque is spread out on 15 hectares and is now an organic certified market garden business. In addition to producing organic baskets, the two farmers supply the Jean-Talon, Atwater and/or Boucherville markets.
La fibre végétale, lafibrevegetale.com
The Fibre végétale farm, located in St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, has been growing organic certified vegetables and fruit for the past five years. It also produces organic vegetable sponges from luffas and the gourd family. La Fibre végétale has been a member of the Family Farmers Network since 2015.
Les jardins du Petit Tremble, lesjardinsdupetittremble.net
Founded in 1999 in Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, Les Jardins du petit-Tremble is a family farm which combines market gardening with long-term land conservation. Their mission is to provide healthy, local and, most importantly, affordable food.
Generally speaking, the Schools Take Root campaigns help these farmers create new markets for their products and promote healthy, local, and sustainable food among our children!
