University of Alberta
IN-2: Innovation 2

Located on University of Alberta’s South Campus, the two acre pesticide and fertilizer free Green & Gold Community Garden is a partnership between the School of Public Health and the Faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences. The main purpose of the garden is to raise funds for Tubahumarize, a non-profit organization that supports socially and economically marginalized women in Rwanda. Not a community garden in the typical sense (there are no designated plots and volunteer gardeners also make donations for the produce they have grown), organizer Jennifer Rees refers to the Green & Gold Community Garden as a “community garden with a global perspective.” The garden has many benefits: educating people about local Albertan food options and community-building, providing locally-grown food to the Edmonton community, and promoting awareness and support for the international community through Tubahumurize’s work in Rwanda. The integration of local and international community development demonstrates the innovativeness of this socially-just and environmentally-sustainable endeavour.

History:
When Sara Bowen, a professor with the School of Public Health, and her husband, Eduardo Parada, arrived in Alberta several years ago, they saw the potential of the University of Alberta farm land near their Lendrum neighbourhood. They had started a similar garden, on a smaller scale, on their land in Manitoba. Here they made the surplus vegetables from their garden available to neighbours for a “donation.” They raised over $3,000 for Tubahumurize in that first summer. When they proposed a similar garden at UAlberta, they specified that all funds raised from the garden would be used to support Tubahumarize. From these humble beginnings, the Green & Gold Community Garden has grown to include a core group of ten volunteer organizers, and another 20 regular volunteers who plant and tend the garden several times a week. The garden e-mail list has over 500 “customers,” mainly people from the neighbouring communities, who come to purchase fresh produce during the season.

Fundraising successes to date:
Even garden volunteers make a donation for the produce because they believe so strongly in the cause. The summer of 2010’s efforts raised over $21,587 in donations for produce and an additional $3,175 from the sale of handicrafts made by the women of Tubahumarize. One hundred per cent of money raised were sent to Tubahumurize to fund programs such as trauma counselling, vocational training, health education, and micro-credit loans.

Progress at Tubahumarize:
The financial support for Tubahumurize’s programs is the underlying goal that guides and motivates the garden project; when you purchase fresh, nutritious, local produce you are also performing an act of charity that will assist Rwandan women in moving towards economic independence. An estimated 200 to 300 socially and economically marginalized women have benefited from Tubahumarize’s support. For example, through the contributions of the Green & Gold community garden, Tubahumarize is able to offer a sewing training program for young adults who use these new skills to sell their handicrafts. Most of the women who benefit from Tubahumurize’s work are victims of the Rwandan genocide -- many are widows, orphans, HIV-infected or victims of domestic violence.

To encourage sustainable program planning, accountability and the best use of the funds, Tubahumarize provides the university and garden organizers with a report every six months that outlines where the funds were used and their plans for future programs.