NORMAN WELLS (October 11, 2012) -- The beginning of fall marks the end of harvest season in the Northwest Territories, and this year backyard gardeners and commercial operators alike are enjoying a colourful bounty, with great harvests reported across the territory.

Produce was plentiful across the NWT, but the shining star was potatoes. Known informally as “The Potato Capital of the NWT”, the Sahtu boasted a bumper crop: a record-breaking 40,000 pounds of the staple vegetable were plucked from Norman Wells soils this year. Small-scale livestock production is also on the rise: chickens in Deline; chickens and pigs in Norman Wells; and chickens, rabbits and even alpacas in the South Slave region. 

“Growing food locally in our communities is an important way to reduce our dependence on imported food and also reduce the cost of living in the NWT,” said Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment David Ramsay. “With our sunshine-filled summer days, the dedication of small and large-scale farmers, and continued support to the agriculture industry, this sector has the potential to really grow and flourish.”

Many community gardens also had increased community participation and great harvests. Highlights from NWT community gardens include:

• Lutselk’e  was once again the top-producing garden in the North Slave region;


• The Behchoko garden was moved closer to the Jimmy Erasmus Seniors Home so more elders can participate in gardening;


• Gardeners harvested root vegetables in the Trout Lake garden;


• Expansion of commercial greenhouses in Fort Smith and Hay River;


• Expansion of community gardens in Fort Simpson – two community gardens tripled in size and each produced an abundant amount of produce;


• Expansion of all community gardens in the South Slave Region and exploring ways to increase production and access such as raising garden beds and preparing soil;


• The Wrigley garden was expanded and plans are underway to move to a container-based system close to the school to get even more youth involved in garden development;


• An abundance of produce was harvested from the Inuvik Community Greenhouse, including spinach, chard, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, squash, zucchini and more;


• Plans are underway in the Sahtu region to get youth further involved in agriculture by supplying small greenhouses to local schools and holding growing workshops.

 

Supporting programs that expand the agriculture industry, such as Growing Forward, will strengthen and diversify our economy, a priority of the 17^th Legislative Assembly.
 

For more information, contact:

Alayna Ward
Manager, Public Affairs and Communications
Industry, Tourism and Investment
Tel: (867) 920-8696