The Inuvik-based community greenhouse coordinator program for Beaufort Delta communities has grown in its second year to include coordinators from the Sahtu region. Instead of a network of seven communities, now 11 are involved from both regions.
Samantha McKay/NNSL photo
The coordinator program, which is funded by the Government of the Northwest Territories' department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI), aims to have community-based coordinators running the greenhouses in each community: Fort McPherson, Tsiigehtchic, Tuktoyaktuk, Aklavik, Ulukhaktok, Paulatuk and Sachs Harbour.
Before the program started two years ago, Inuvik Community Greenhouse executive director Ray Solotki was running all seven greenhouses remotely, visiting each community for a few days a year.
Solotki said it is more productive to have a locally-based coordinator in each community instead.
"I wasn't doing something that was culturally- or traditionally-appropriate – to have this random southern girl going up to the North to tell people how to garden and grow food, it wasn't working," she said. "From talking to people, I know that it's a struggle in the communities. There's not a lot of work, and people are trying to feed their families, so it makes the most sense to just hire someone in the community."
The first year of the program faced some struggles with communication, but this year Solotki said the coordinator program ran much more smoothly.
"We're seeing more people involved now. More kids involved, more elders involved, we're just seeing more activities in the greenhouses," said Solotki.
"The coordinators come to Inuvik in May and they come here again in August. That first week, they learn how to run the greenhouse, how to deal with a membership, we teach them how to garden and give them all the tools and supplies they need," said Solotki. "Then throughout the summer, we're constantly in contact, figuring things out together."
Paulatuk's community greenhouse coordinator Lanita Thrasher said since the coordinator program has been implemented, her community has been able to produce much more food because it is easier to run the greenhouse.
"We're harvesting a lot more vegetables now," she said. "We even had enough for a farmers' market this year. It was awesome, lots of people came out to it."
Susan Memogana is the greenhouse coordinator in Ulukhaktok. She agrees that operating the greenhouse is a much smoother operation now with the coordinator program.
"When I first started, I had no clue what was a weed and what was a plant," said Memogana, "but now I've learned and I know and I can share with other people in Ulukhaktok."
Aklavik's community greenhouse has also seen major benefits from the coordinator program, according to Pam Noland, Aklavik's greenhouse coordinator. Noland said not only has the Aklavik greenhouse membership tripled since the program started, but it also allows for more support to be provided for gardeners in the community.
"If they have a question or a comment about things, they see me at the grocery store, they see me at the post office," Noland said. "It's good to have somebody on the ground people can go to."
Noland said she thinks the greenhouse is important to Aklavik because it has a direct impact on the lives of people in the community.
"What else is going on now that is investing in 60 or 70 lives in Aklavik, at least?" she said.
This year, Solotki said Aklavik was part of a pilot project to bring more starter plants into the communities at the beginning of the season.
"Aklavik got 1,000 plants this year. That's 10 times what they got last year. I feel like this will change things greatly, because if you start from a starter plant instead of a seed, your chances of getting an earlier harvest are greater," said Solotki.
Since the pilot project in Aklavik was successful, she said next year each community will receive 300-700 starter plants instead of the usual 60, which will allow for multiple harvests, and more food coming from the greenhouses.