• Central Park Maket
  

• History & development
  

• Operations
  

• Other community initiatives
  

• Local food sourcing
  

• Community economic devleopment
  

• Future of the market and park
  

• References
  

Local Food Sourcing:

Local Food Sourcing
Food miles (or food kilometres) are the distance food travels from the farm to your plate. Ingredients in the average North American meal travel an average of fifteen hundred food miles, which uses tremendous energy resources and carries a heavy environmental burden through greenhouse gas production.

Local food sourcing can take place in a couple of ways. Back yard growing drastically reduces food miles, and gives you ultimate control over what you eat (including what’s in it). If you don’t have the time, energy, or space to grow your own food, farmer’s markets are another option. Winnipeg has several which are listed on this GreenMap. This option reduces food miles and is also a good way to get to know the people that grow your food and gain valuable education about food growth systems. Farmers at markets are usually well informed, and are capable of providing you with the information you need.

Another option is to go the route of a Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA). In a CSA, you pay the farmer in advance for a share of the year’s crop, giving the farmer the cash infusion he or she needs at the beginning of the growing season. If you use the service for a few years, you get to build a relationship with your farmer. In and around Winnipeg there are some CSAs available, which are listed on this GreenMap.

Community Economic Development
Community Economic Development (CED) is local action taken by a community to provide economic opportunities and improve social conditions in a sustainable way (Wikipedia, 2007). CED initiatives are often set up to address community or group-wide economic disadvantage. One of CED’s central tenets is that members of the community look at unemployment, poverty and environmental decline together, in a coordinated way. Central Market is an example of CED because it sources food locally. The program provides employment and skill building, uses local decision-making, and promotes neighbourhood health and stability.