From Imports to Independence: The Growing Local Food Movement
A surge in interest for local greens and a real investment in local food infrastructure could be a silver lining amidst a trade war.
We’re in a trade war. Whether the tariffs are on, off, paused, or decreased, the fact remains that nothing is as it was.
This can be a good thing.
Within the Growcer network we’re starting to see a surge in interest for locally-grown greens. On a national scale, we’re starting to see a renewed conversation for increasing local food infrastructure. Let’s grow more here. Let’s process more here. Let’s buy local where we can.
Leafy greens more susceptible to tariff threats
Canada imports 90 per cent of its leafy greens, a majority of which comes from the United States. A heavy dependence on importing leaves leafy greens exceptionally vulnerable to tariff threats. They’re also perishable so stockpiling isn’t an option to minimize price shocks.
However, growth in greenhouses and vertical farming have allowed Canada to become more self-sufficient and less reliant on imports.
Specifically in lettuce, our “trade dependence ratio” showed an upward trend. Canada went from a -5.4 trade dependence ratio for lettuce to -3.3, which means that our imports are decreasing compared to what we’re producing. All this thanks to an increase in indoor farming.
Sitting on the solution: Vertical farms
The technology exists to further secure our supply of leafy greens. Vertical farms are uniquely suited to grow leafy greens, and modular farms - that take up the same amount of space as three cars - can be placed anywhere.
It’s been done before too. Japan is a great example of a country that focused on increasing their national food sovereignty after a tsunami disaster. As part of their recovery plans, the country invested in vertical farming and now produces all of their leafy greens within the country. Vertical farming was a perfect fit for a country where the population are large consumers of leafy greens and supply wasn’t always stable.
Vertical farms are uniquely suited to grow leafy greens, and modular farms - that take up the same amount of space as three cars - can be placed anywhere.
Canadian context: Vertical farming
In Canada, vertical farming is also a potential solution for increasing domestic food production.
The country imports 90 per cent of its leafy greens - a crop that can be reliably grown using vertical farms.
Controlled environment agriculture overcomes many of the barriers seen with outdoor agriculture and allows people to grow year-round.
Modular farms, in particular, can be used at a community-scale in a country that is more geographically spread and where segments of the population live more remotely and at the end of distribution lines.
While it isn’t a silver bullet, it does help diversify parts of the food system. It’s important that all our resources are used efficiently. So if it makes sense to grow a potato outside, let’s grow a potato outside. But if it makes sense to grow leafy greens in a vertical farm instead of shipping it from miles away, then let’s consider growing leafy greens in vertical farms.
Surge of interest in locally grown greens
Vertical farming isn’t some pie in the sky fantasy, there’s real life examples of vertical farming in action and making a local impact.
The growers below are using modular vertical farms to grow fresh, local food for their communities and customers with an appetite to shop local are taking notice.
Mark with Real Greens sells their locally grown produce to the Co-op nearby.
Let them buy local
GReena grows fresh greens for its packaging centre and local grocery stores in the Toronto area. In response to the “Buy Canadian” sentiments growing after tariffs were announced, GReena decided to add a Canadian flag to its logo so more customers can spot greens that were grown locally and grown in Canada.
The non-profit also applied for a grant to increase their production capacity by 25 per cent to be able to meet growing demand.
Prime shelf space
In the rural border town of Pierson, Man., it wasn’t uncommon to cross the U.S. border to go grocery shopping, but this all changed after the pandemic. Now the local grocery store, Valleyview Co-op, partners with Real Greens to source their vertically farmed greens.
In response to how the tariff threat has changed demand, the grower Mark Custance says they can’t keep up and they’re at capacity. “We can’t produce enough, and we also just toured someone through the farm who is interested in how we’re growing.”
Valleyview Co-op also highlights Canadian-grown produce and gives Real Greens prime space on the shelf to promote their locally grown produce.
Valleyview Co-op gives Real Greens prime space on the shelf to promote locally grown produce.
Making plans to buy local
In northern Ontario, Nipissing First Nation’s Mnogin Greenhouse is growing fresh produce for the community of about 3,000 people and nearby restaurants and retailers.
Genevieve Couchie, the business operations manager, shares: “We haven’t seen a dramatic surge but I’ve had a few staff and community members come to my office this week asking how to order our products. They said all they could find at the grocery store was produce grown in the USA and they don't want to buy it. We've also picked up several new online customers in recent weeks, and I would attribute that to peoples' newfound desire to shop/support local.”
Once the tariffs took effect, the story changed. Makenzie Jones, head grower at Mnogin Greenhouse, shared that the tariffs doubled their businesses. “I’m getting eight phone calls a day when I used to get none,” Jones says, adding that their online store’s email is seeing several emails a day instead of their usual 1-2 per month. The emails are mostly coming from regular customers (instead of restaurants) who are buying online and want to support local.
“All the product is getting eaten up and we’re selling out . . . the demand for the online store has increased by 2-3x at least,” Jones says.
Putting customers first
Legacy Co-op in Yorkton, Sask. has always put local first and wants to make sure the tariffs don’t put an unnecessary burden on customers. They also have the advantage of growing fresh produce steps away from their produce aisle with a modular vertical farm in the parking lot. Growing steps away from the store secures a steady supply of produce and makes it less susceptible to price fluctuations.
When it comes to demand for their store-branded products, there isn’t a surge of demand but local is becoming more top of mind for customers. “I can’t definitively say at this time that we’ve seen a marked increase in demand for fresh produce relative to the potential tariff impacts, however we are hearing more chatter amongst the communities and a stronger sentiment towards shopping, purchasing, and supporting local,” says Jessie Huber on the store’s marketing team. “We expect the local demand to continue to increase and have taken steps to make it easier for our customers to identify local and Canadian products.”
Legacy Co-op grows fresh produce using their modular vertical farm and brands it as Neighbourhood Fresh.
Discovering longer shelf life
Shark Farms grows fresh produce to sell at their small farm shop and to use within their charcuterie business. Since the tariffs were announced, they’ve seen a surge in demand for their locally grown greens.
“Yes, it’s almost tripled! And other farm shops are reaching out too,” says Sarah Glen, the grower and owner. She adds that customers are also commenting on the longer shelf life. The produce they grow isn’t “shelved for three weeks before it’s delivered so customers are so happy.”
Where do we go from here?
There has never been a more opportune time to get the ball rolling on growing your own food. Even if - and that’s a big if - things return to “normal,” the plans made now will shape the future.
Investing in local food isn’t just about ROI. It’s about building a future where communities can rely on their own food sources, not solely imports.
Activating affordability in vertical farming
Vertical farming can seem out of reach for a variety of reasons from the cost to get started to knowing how to use the technology. For some, the large investment required is the biggest hurdle to getting started.
Which is why we’ve created Growcer Fund to activate affordability in vertical farming.
It is our vote of confidence that the future of food is better local.
Instead of taking on all the financial risk, operators enter into a partnership model with Growcer Fund with an upfront investment that’s up to 75% lower than purchasing a farm outright. After a successful application process, the Fund provides the farm, capital maintenance, and support, while the farm operator prepares the site, runs the farm, and distributes the produce. For non-profits, municipalities, and Indigenous communities, this means vertical farming can be a line item in a budget instead of a massive capital project.
Learn more about Growcer Fund.