Food forests coming to Saskatoon west side parks

Environment Canada said the growing season has seen above average rainfall and warmer temperatures.

The city is turning two west-side parks into food forests and they want your input on how they should look.

A food forest is a diverse planting of food-producing trees, shrubs and plants intended for public foraging, and Saskatoon sustainability specialist Shannon Dyck says it’s part of the city’s plan to help bring fresh food to neighbourhoods that have higher rates of food insecurity.

The city picked the two sites for its pilot project — Leif Erickson Park and Boughton Park — using criteria including neighbourhood household incomes, land availability, public accessibility and distance from grocery stores.

“We do hope it gives access to food to people who need it,” she said.

But, rest assured, the food forests will be open to anyone, she says. With the two sites located near elementary schools, there are also opportunities to use the sites as an educational resource.

The idea isn’t new, says Dyck.

“There are already some fruit trees and shrubs planted in city parks and growing naturally along the river and naturalized areas, so it’s certainly not the first time we’ve grown fruit trees or shrubs in the city,” Dyck said.

“This will perhaps just be more of a focal point in a community space, and have signage, explaining what’s been planted and how and when to harvest, so hopefully it’s easier for people to understand what growing there.”

Food forests have been planted in other Canadian cities, like Calgary, and there are already areas along the Meewasin trail by the university and on 12th Street that have fruit-bearing plants for people to forage, Dyck says.

“Some of my colleagues have been reaching out to those groups just to try and understand how they’ve been set up, and any lessons learned that we can incorporate into our own project.”

The project is funded by money reallocated through the city’s green infrastructure strategy, with some contribution from the federal government. Dyck says the project will cost about $350,000.

At this point, the city wants to hear from neighbourhood residents to find out what they would like to see planted.

People can fill out a survey on the city’s website, telling the city what they want planted and what other amenities they might want in the park, like benches, picnic tables and informational plaques.

After the surveys are completed and the sites are designed, the city will ask for input on the designs in a series of community open houses — scheduled for July.

Once that’s complete, construction of the demonstration food forests can start around August and continue throughout the next year.

The food forests are scheduled to be fully established by October 2024.

If this pilot project is successful, Dyck hopes to see more community interest in these types of sustainable food initiatives.

“So, you know, stay tuned community. We want to talk to you as well.”