Island Roots Market Co-operative has partnered with Bowen Road Farmers Market and there are plans for a single indoor year-round market open 5 or 6 days each week in Nanaimo
Nanaimo’s only indoor winter Farmers Market, Island Roots Market Cooperative, has joined forces with Bowen Road Farmers Market to create a twice-weekly market, Wednesdays and Saturdays, through the summer.
The two markets have joined forces to increase and extend the reach of local food, while also developing ambitious future plans that include a single indoor year-round market open 5 or 6 days each week in Nanaimo. The cooperating markets envision a new building near Beban Park for the year-round market.
On May 24, 2016 a delegation from the markets appeared at a Regional District of Nanaimo Board meeting, asking for a letter of support for the plan to build a year round market at Beban Park.
The City of Nanaimo Official Community Plan, 2008, identifies food security as an important goal. It lists several objectives: developing sustainable local food systems, encouraging partnerships for food security, and ensuring access to food. — Island Roots Market Cooperative
Currently, the markets are open Wednesdays (now) and Saturdays (beginning May 28, 2016) at the Beban Park location. Island Roots will resume its indoor market in October 2016 as usual.
We speak with Ashta Cormier, co-manager of the Island Roots Bowen Road Farmers Markets.
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audio | Island Roots Market Co-operative @BCFarmersMarket #Nanaimo @VIMentalHealth https://t.co/3XAtVQpcQz pic.twitter.com/c53MzNJcH5
— People First Radio (@peoplefirstrad) May 26, 2016
Image top: Ashta Cormier
More about the markets
The purpose of Bowen Road Farmers Market is to bring people together, in the Nanaimo community, within the context of food, farming, health, nutrition and relationship. This also provides an opportunity for people to reconnect with themselves, each other, the earth, soil, water, air and sun which are some of the many elements employed by our local farmers and food producers, in order to bring some of the less than 6% of our food grown on Vancouver Island.
The mission of Island Roots Market Cooperative is to increase our community’s sustainability, food sustainability and food security. To create jobs, increase the economic viability of local agriculture and add to the general well being of citizens by creating an increased demand for local production and acting as a stimulus for farmers, food and other local production and the local food movement.
