Benefits and Long-Term Outcomes
The Good Fruit 'N' Greenways Project provided 534 fruit-bearing trees, vines, shrubs and plants for communal spaces within the greater Victoria community. Please note that Tsartlip trees were planted in backyard spaces used communally by families. The benefits of these added plants are mainly increased food production through added sources of food, increased biodiversity through the number and variety of plants installed in greenways, and the enhancement of communal greenways with food-producing plants resulting in greater appeal and usage.
A GFNG project focus was to provide foodstuffs to disadvantaged community members. In the first year of fruit production (2006), Michael Cowan predicts that 10,000 pounds of fruit could be harvested from the 534 fruit-bearing plants. At Tsartlip, trees were planted in the backyard space of family homes as this was determined to be the most suitable space for meeting the maintenance needs of the trees/bushes and will enable more regular harvesting by the families. These trees will provide a legacy of fruit and greater abundance to the families, both immediate and extended on the Tsartlip First Nation. As the trees grow and produce fruit, these people will be further empowered by their ability to utilize these trees as sources of local, healthy food for themselves and their families. Harvesting and enjoying fruit grown in their own backyards will foster an appreciation for fresh, locally grown food, creating greater awareness about the value of good nutrition.
Within Victoria, trees were planted in public-use community spaces such as in churchyards, community centres, community gardens, cooperative complexes and communal green spaces, which have multi-use purposes and are enjoyed by many different sectors of the community. The fruit trees increase the biodiversity in each of these areas and will greatly increase the capacity for food production; the fruit can be used to teach communities how to harvest and safely preserve their own food. One of the benefits of this increased capacity is a greater awareness of the relationship between our environment, our food and our quality of life. The aesthetic pleasure of watching fruit trees flower, and set and ripen food that can be harvested and eaten creates an appreciation for the gifts of nature that are all too easily forgotten.
Many areas of Tsartlip and Greater Victoria were historically orchards and farms. Many of the old fruit trees are still standing, but are old, improperly maintained and unhealthy. Increased community capacity to care for fruit trees through the GFNG training workshops contributes to the restoration and care of historical trees. Planting new fruit trees reinvigorates the historical use of the lands, provides a greater pollen density for all surrounding trees and increases biodiversity.
All communities benefited from the planning process and training workshops. Each community was involved in the planning, design and walk-about process, and determined for themselves which locations were desirable for planting. The workshops provided opportunities for community members from different areas of the city to come together to learn and network. The knowledge and information shared at workshops by our Fruit Trainer provides these people with a greater ability to sustainably grow and provide food to many sectors of their communities. Michael Cowan's support and superior training capacity has been critical to the long term success of the GFNG project.
