Agriculture in the City, an event that bridges the gap between urban consumers and agricultural producers, was back at the Forks this year.
On March 18, after a three-year hiatus, a corner of the Forks Market in Winnipeg was transformed into a family-focused, hands-on event that promotes agriculture and educates the public about where their food comes from.
“In March 2020, we were two days away from the event and that’s when everything really went pear-shaped in the world, and we had to pull the plug on it,” said Crystal Jorgenson, communication specialist with the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba.
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Why it matters: Ag education programs like Agriculture in the City try to bridge the urban-rural divide and give city residents a better understanding of the food system.
Jorgenson co-chaired the event’s organizing committee, along with Laurel Lyons of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She said the event plays an important role in promoting agriculture, and that participants on both sides of the booths were glad to be back.
“We often talk about how people are becoming increasingly removed from agricultural backgrounds. At one time, almost everybody had someone connected in their family to agriculture, but for many, that connection is now several generations removed or they have no connection to the primary production sector at all.”
She added that people often equate food with grocery stores and may not think about it beyond that.
“This is an event that gives Winnipeggers an opportunity to speak to the people that are directly engaged in food production in Manitoba. People have a chance to speak directly to farmers about agricultural production, about the different types of commodities that are grown or the different practices that are used.”
Hands-on displays at the event included a crafts table and a booth allowing younger visitors to plant a strawberry plant to take home. It also included stations where attendees could crush grown-in-Manitoba canola, create a living seed necklace or taste a selection of locally sourced foods.
The University of Manitoba is among several organizers responsible for the event, as is AAFC and commodity groups. The federal ag department also chips in funding.
“A lot of long hours and volunteer effort goes into making the event work,” Jorgenson said.
Sabrina Iqbal Shorna, a University of Manitoba masters student in biosystems engineering, was among the volunteers. She took the day off from her studies to cover the Manitoba 4-H Council crafts table.
“Manitoba is so rich agriculture, I think it is really important that our children learn about it and understand the opportunities here,” she said, adding that, while kids were having fun, their reactions also said they were learning.
But it wasn’t just the kids who were having fun.
While the University of Manitoba Food Fight isn’t as messy and chaotic as it sounds, many consider it to be one of the highlights of the event.
The “food fight” is modeled after the previous Great Manitoba Food Fight once put on in partnership between the province and the food and beverage industry. Last held in 2018, it featured competing companies that pitched their novel food product to a panel of judges. A place in the winners circle came with a cash prize.
In the University of Manitoba version, competitors are students enrolled in the food product development course offered by the Food and Human Nutritional Sciences department, an offshoot of the Faculty of Agriculture.
Students must make a presentation to the judges as their food is sampled. The students then take professional-level feedback back to their class, where they incorporate comments into a final presentation.
Jorgenson said it’s a valuable experience for the students, gives them opportunities for public speaking and is good publicity for the university’s food science course offerings.
The winning product this year was a BBQ-flavoured oat noodle snack called Oatmie. Other products included pea protein nacho chips, vegan ice cream, yogurt ice cream with strawberry chunks and soya popcorn.
Agriculture in the City had 17 exhibitors this year, including a full gamut of commodity groups and representation from research institutions and government.
