West Coast Now
Radha Agarwal, Local Journalism Initiative
The Gitmaxmak’ay Nisga’a Society (GNS) has been approved for a $142,650 grant by the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT) to build a second hydroponic greenhouse in Prince Rupert.
GNS provides programs and services to more than 1,600 registered Nisga’a citizens in Prince Rupert and Port Edward on behalf of the Nisga’a Lisims Government.
As per the NDIT, the previous hydroponic greenhouse built by GNS in 2020 is the only major volume source of locally grown produce in Prince Rupert. It helped donate weekly food boxes to 1,500 local members during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The society has reportedly experienced a significant increase in demand for local greens through their fresh food cafe (Yaga).
“We’re the rainiest and cloudiest city in Canada, and it’s incredibly difficult to do traditional agriculture.”
Blair Mirau, chief executive officer of the Gitmaxmak’ay Nisga’a Society
In 2020, GNS reported that a quality-of-life survey among Nisga’a citizens identified one in three households were not regularly eating three meals a day. Availability and cost of food were barriers to their food security. So, they decided to tackle this issue by building the first dedicated greenhouse and fresh food cafe.
NDIT has three funding application periods each year.
“This one really spoke to us simply because food security is something that is very important to a lot of people in the North right now. Ensuring healthy produce that’s readily available is something that’s really really important,” said Holly Plato, director of communications at Northern Development Initiative Trust.
They prioritize applications that cater to helping local communities or benefiting the local economy.
“So, if you’ve got a local business turning a profit in Prince Rupert – that’s a big deal as well; we want to keep the local economy sustained and then growing,” she said.
In a hydroponic greenhouse, plants are grown in a water-based mineral nutrient solution, as opposed to traditional soil.
GNS says their current 40-foot container farm overcomes a lack of space and allows them to grow 500 heads of fresh greens per week, unfazed by Prince Rupert’s rainy weather. The facility is also able to produce year-long, as opposed to seasonally.
GNS reported their project was able to provide 1,600 members with access to fresh buttercrunch and romaine lettuce, spinach, microgreens, and herbs such as basil and cilantro. Members receive weekly boxes by either paying for a subscription or for free – depending on their needs.
Mirau said the biggest challenge, which was also a good problem to have, was serving the ‘overwhelming, insatiable demand’ that they couldn’t fulfill out of one unit.
The August 16 announcement will allow another unit to support the growing demand within the community. The second greenhouse will be ready by December 2024.
