Local food and COVID-19

With the COVID-19 situation, farmers, food processors and retailers have had to adjust their operations and adopt new ways of doing business. Many farmers are now offering online orders with curbside pickup and delivery options to bring fresh, healthy food to your table. For a comprehensive list of local farms in York Region offering alternative pickup methods, visit York Farm Fresh.  

The first week of June in Ontario is Local Food Week. It's a week to celebrate the local, fresh food we love and say thank you to the farmers, workers, processors, retailers and others in the food system. During these extraordinary times, their role is even more critical in maintaining York Region’s strong, caring and safe communities.

Food resources during COVID-19:

• Interactive food access map
• York Farm Fresh - list of farms in York Region offering alternative pickup methods
• Emergency food resources in York Region
• York Region Food Network drop-in breakfast in Aurora
• York Region Food Network Good Food Box program
• York Region Farm Fresh Map 2020

Agriculture in Vaughan 

Not only is agricultural land an important natural resource, it also contributes to our local economy by providing jobs for many. In 2016, agricultural lands in Vaughan contributed to:

• $26,171,283 in gross revenue from farm businesses, an increase of 7% from 2011
• 10% of all employment from the agri-food sector (What is the agri-food sector? All components of agriculture, including suppliers, producers, processors, retailers and all levels of government)

$250 million in Gross Domestic Product was generated in agriculture sales, 3,578 jobs and $133 million in wages and salaries in York Region! 

Fun fact:  In 2016, there were 700 farms in York Region and 51 of those farms (7%) reported using solar panels or wind turbines to generate renewable energy!

Making a Difference

1. Stewardship: develop urban agriculture programming with a vision based on nature, food, agriculture, heritage, tourism and education.
2. Development: promote urban agriculture through the Sustainability Performance Metrics Program.
3. Education: support local food initiatives through education events at local venues to our residents (see below for a list of workshops and events).
4. Inventory: identify and map the agri-food assets in the City.
5. Transformation: create naturalized spaces on City-owned property such as community gardens and pollinator habitats.

• Contribute to economic viability - support local economic growth by supporting local farmers and businesses
• Eat healthier – buying closer to home means the food is fresher
• Become a community steward – build a sense of social responsibility
• Reduce carbon footprint - food comes from a farm close to home which reduces transportation distances

• Visit local farms and farmer’s markets. Visit York Farm Fresh for locations across York Region or download the York Farm Fresh Map. Also visit Greenbelt fresh or Ontario fresh to locate fresh and local food in Ontario.
• Look for the Foodland Ontario logo when shopping at grocery stores;
• Plant your own backyard garden or volunteer for a City community garden

View the City's local food postcard as a quck reference for tips about buying local food and information about agriculture in Vaughan.

The Provincial Plan Areas

Greenbelt Area

Ontario’s Greenbelt lands encompass protected natural heritage areas and productive agricultural lands (farmland). The Greenbelt Area covers more than 2 million acres of land – bigger than the Province of Prince Edward Island!

The Greenbelt is worth protecting! It provides:

• Habitat to 78 Species at Risk including wildlife, flora and fauna clean drinking water by protecting 108,629 hectares of small lakes, wetlands, rivers and streams that feed into the Great Lakes
• Employment and income to 5,500 farms
• 10,000 km of trails for everyone to enjoy
• Forests that create cleaner air as it stores enough carbon to offset the emissions from 27 million cars in 1 year

Explore the Greenbelt to find fresh and local food!

• 15% of Vaughan is Greenbelt area (4,109 hectares)
• 11.4% of Vaughan is Oak Ridges Moraine (3,135 hectares)
• 2.5% ORM Natural Core
• 2.9% ORM Natural Linkage
• 1.0% ORM Countryside
• 5.0% ORM Settlement Area