Marking 20 years
of bold journalism,
reader supported.
Events, contests and other initiatives by The Tyee and select partners.

Not a Bad Homework Assignment: Start a Farmers' Market

The Coquitlam market, bringing local food to the 'burb for 20 years, started in an SFU classroom.

Tyee Staff 9 Jun 2016TheTyee.ca

The Coquitlam Farmers Market has been an important part of the city's local food scene for 20 years, but it wasn't started by farmers -- it was started by students for a class project.

Terri Evans was one of four students in a Simon Fraser University sustainable communities course who wanted to use city space to highlight local food. What better way to do that, the students thought, than to help set up a farmers' market.

"Farmers' markets provide a lot of economic activity," Evans says. "They provide a great opportunity to buy food directly from local farmers, and for people to re-learn knowledge that they've lost -- such as the seasonality of foods."

The City of Coquitlam was happy to support the project. It made sense that local citizens should be more connected to locally grown food.

Fast-forward 20 years, and the Coquitlam Farmers Market now contributes $1.5 million to the local economy during its summer season alone.

It's been a while since Evans was a student, but she's still involved with SFU. She manages the university's urban studies program and is also an instructor with the department of geography.

"I think it provides a lot of credibility for students to see their instructors doing work in the community," she says.

Evans is also still involved with developing the market, and is satisfied to know that she helped change shopping habits in the suburb.

Check out the full story at SFU's website here.  [Tyee]

Read more: Education, Food

This article is part of a Tyee Presents initiative. Tyee Presents is the special sponsored content section within The Tyee where we highlight contests, events and other initiatives that are either put on by us or by our select partners. The Tyee does not and cannot vouch for or endorse products advertised on The Tyee. We choose our partners carefully and consciously, to fit with The Tyee’s reputation as B.C.’s Home for News, Culture and Solutions. Learn more about Tyee Presents here.

  • Share:

Facts matter. Get The Tyee's in-depth journalism delivered to your inbox for free

Tyee Commenting Guidelines

Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion.
*Please note The Tyee is not a forum for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, denying its existence or minimizing its risk to public health.

Do:

  • Be thoughtful about how your words may affect the communities you are addressing. Language matters
  • Challenge arguments, not commenters
  • Flag trolls and guideline violations
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity, learn from differences of opinion
  • Verify facts, debunk rumours, point out logical fallacies
  • Add context and background
  • Note typos and reporting blind spots
  • Stay on topic

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist, homophobic or transphobic language
  • Ridicule, misgender, bully, threaten, name call, troll or wish harm on others
  • Personally attack authors or contributors
  • Spread misinformation or perpetuate conspiracies
  • Libel, defame or publish falsehoods
  • Attempt to guess other commenters’ real-life identities
  • Post links without providing context

LATEST STORIES

The Barometer

Do You Think Naheed Nenshi Will Win the Alberta NDP Leadership Race?

Take this week's poll