Feature: Sharing Backyards

For people who want to grow their own food but lack the yard space, it can be difficult to access land or sufficient space to grow plants or keep planters.

Credit: Christina Mak

The goal of the Sharing Backyards program is to provide anyone who wants to grow food with the yard space to do it. It encourages urban gardening by connecting those who have the space to garden with those who would like to garden but do not have the necessary space.

By bringing the program to communities, the hope is to, among other things, boost the land available for urban agriculture, lower waiting lists for community garden plots, decrease the amount of food that needs to be shipped across the country, and help people lower their food costs.

Sharing Backyards already exists in a number of different cities, from Vancouver to Ottawa (and all the way to New Zealand!), but if your city doesn't have a program running, you can start a yard-sharing program in your community.

Best of all, whether you're looking for yard space or to share space you already have, Sharing Backyards is 100% free for all users! (Courtesy of sponsors who support each of the local programs.)

Want to know more? Check out Sharing Backyards here.