Projects

Food Action and Education

• Growing Schools
  
  
• Sharing Backyards
  
  
• Fruit Tree Project
  
  
• Food Miles
  
  
  

We live in an abundant city and it is important that all people at all times have access to healthy food. We help to create community gardens and urban organic food gardens in people's backyards, balconies and rooftops through the Growing Schools and international Sharing Backyards programs.

Our Sharing Backyards program is designed to link people that have space to grow food but don't have the time our inclination to do so with people who are interested in growing food but do not have access to space to do so. Our new online system makes linking potential gardeners easier than ever.

Growing Schools also offers both school and community based education programs to teach about food security, sustainable agriculture and urban agriculture. The Fruit Tree Project plays a role in trying to get available food to those who need it most by the redistribution of food that would otherwise go to waste. Food Miles helps people determine how far their food has traveled, and how many green house gasses were emitted along the way

The Diggers
is a team of volunteers who learn by doing. Diggers receive hands-on learning and mentorship while working as part of a team to construct, fill and plant new garden projects in the community. Orientation begins in February and is ongoing throughout the year.

Culinary Garden Internship

Learn how to grow food for culinary use. Interns will learn to implement crop plans, develop healthy soil management practices and harvest organic produce at Six Mile Pub culinary garden.
Currently full for the 2012 season. 

 Workshops
Learn how to make your own cheese, start a container garden, care for your fruit trees and much more through our upcoming SPRING WORKSHOP SERIES.

The Urban Agriculture Hub includes an Urban Agriculture Events Calendar, gardening Q&A Forum, Resource page and more!

Fact Sheets
Practical, simple, do-it-yourself information for Victoria residents to become more food self-reliant. Topics include: Backyard Chickens, Fruit Tree Care, Boulevard Gardens and much more!

Community Mapping, Food Policy and Planning

• Common Ground
  
  
• Farmlands Project
  
  
• Food Planning
  
  

LifeCycles has partnered with Common Ground for the past 5 year to help communities, neighbourhoods, and individuals assess their resources and plan for the future by supporting them in the participatory development of community plans and green maps. Our Common Ground project has helped develop numerous Community Green Maps.

The Farmlands Project is an annual conference to address the viability and accessibility of local agriculture production.

LifeCycles plays an active role in Food Planning, alongside other organizations, who form the collaborative, Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiative Roundtable (CR-FAIR). CR-FAIR has worked together over the past 10 years to address Food Security, Planning and Policy in the region.

On a neighbourhood level, LifeCycles helps communities to vision what their local food system could like. Together a community food action plan is developed and implemented.

• The Hive Urban Agriculture Demonstration Site
  
  
• Doing It Green and Sustainably (D.I.G.S.)
  
  
• Global Education
  
  
• Grow-a-Row
  
  
• Youth Community Entrepreneur Program
  
  
• Youth Food and Agriculture Program
• Go Greenways!
  
  
• GroundWorks
  
  
• HomeGrown Gardening
  
  
• Indigenous Food Sovereignty Project
  
  
• YouthCore
  
  
• City of Victoria Youth Council
  
  
• Business is Growing!
  
  
• Green Seed Fund
  
  
• Good Fruit'N Green Ways Project
  
  
• Spring Ridge Commons

LifeCycles has worked on many projects over the years. Some of them are no longer being actively pursued. At the Hive, LifeCycles' turned a degraded piece of land into an urban agriculture demonstration site. The D.I.G.S. project served Victoria by helping individuals and groups build their capacity to actively develop more just and sustainable food systems. With the support of the Canadian International Development Agency, LifeCycles' Our Global Education progam offered workshops and teach-ins on the global food system, while the Youth Community Entrepreneur Program provided the skills, tools and support for 12 youth (16-30 years) to develop business plans, explore community micro-business opportunities and initiate sustainable community businesses. TheGo Greenways! project is supported the creation of greenways in Greater Victoria, while GroundWorks is our resource centre for those interested in community mapping and sustainability initiatives.

Youth Engagement

LifeCycles believes in the current and potential capacity of young people. LifeCycles facilitated two programs focused on engaging young people in community development: YouthCore and the City of Victoria Youth Council. Both programs are dedicated to generating and maintaining an authentic youth voice in very different ways.

Community Enterprise

LifeCycles works hard to promote and develop ethical and sustainable business in the Greater Victoria Region. Working together with VanCity, LifeCycles offers the Green Seed Fund as a means to support local entrepreneurial ideas and initiatives. Business is Growing provides training, speakers, and access to resources and networking to those starting or running a food or farm business. LifeCycles'