Urban farming in Toronto offers a grassroots solution to rising food costs [Video]

Driving through blurs of brake lights, echoes of honking horns and endless construction detours, the trip feels like any other through downtown.

But as you leave the business core and head towards the residential maze near Yorkdale, traffic starts to disappear. Turning off the pavement and onto a gravel lane, rows of soil and a small community of farmers are busy unwrapping their crops come into focus.

On this small plot, Jessey Njau works quietly in his greenhouse, hose in hand, tending to seedlings like any farmer might, except here, tractors are replaced by hand tools, and the country’s busiest financial centre is just minutes away.

Urban farming finding space in the city

Urban farming is growing in popularity in big cities such as Toronto, with more than 24 per cent of farmers residing in urban areas. Projects like the farm Njau owns, Zawadi Farm, are helping reshape how food can be grown in a dense urban environment.

As more people …