It is no surprise rising food costs are a top concern for Canadians. According to research from The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, the cost of food has consistently been the number one worry among the majority of Canadians for the past five years, with a continued increase in 2022. Last year, 69 per cent of Canadians were concerned about the cost of food and 56 per cent were concerned about keeping healthy food affordable.
These rising food costs have led to more people thinking about growing their own vegetable gardens at home to save money. A new study by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University found one in five Canadians have started growing food at home in the past three years.
“Canadians have been under an incredible amount of financial strain in recent years with food price increases leading the way. That has led to more people thinking about growing some of their own food at home,” said Paul Lefebvre, new product development manager at Premier Tech Home & Garden, a Canadian manufacturer and marketer of consumer lawn and garden products.
While food security is a complex issue affected by a number of factors, urban or home gardening can, in some cases, help get more healthy food to those who need it. Home gardeners, like farmers, have access to a toolbox of options, including a range of biological, organic and synthetic pesticides to help them protect their crops from attacks from insects, weeds and diseases.
“Canada has some of the best regulation and legislation related to the evaluation of pesticides,” said Lefebvre. “Many governments regulatory agencies around the world look closely at pesticides to ensure they are safe for use.”
Whether you are a long-time home gardener or planting your first vegetable seeds and plants this year, enjoy the fruits of your labour.
