Thanks to the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI) and a group of dedicated volunteers, residents of Paulatuk can look forward to fresh, locally grown salad on their dinner plates again this summer.
Gardening in the Arctic-coast community, which is home to about 320 residents, has taken off in the last few years. The community dove into agriculture in 2015 under the guidance of Peter Green, an Elder who learned his gardening skills from the local Parish Priest, over 50 years ago.
ITI was pleased to provide the community with a complete Greenhouse in a Seacan Package. The package included a 24’x30’ greenhouse, which was constructed with the help of residents, as well as materials for raised planter boxes that were constructed by Jason Reidford, a resident of Paulatuk.
The package also contained soil, manure, a composter, solar panels and battery, wheelbarrow, water tank and gardening tools. The results were impressive and a wide variety of vegetables were grown, including: peas, beans, broccoli, beets, turnip, tomatoes, radish, cabbage, carrot, kale, lettuce and spinach.
Community interest and involvement in gardening continues to flourish and as a result, the Qungulliq Garden Society of Paulatuk formalized their organization as a Registered Society on March 15, 2017.
There are now seven community garden volunteers who make up the Board of Directors for the Garden Society. Plans are already underway for the 2017 season. Some highlights include: building additional raised beds and elevating the 200 gallon water tank beds will be watered by a gravity-fed hose. Community gardeners are excited that ITI will again this year be providing spring, summer and fall workshops in Paulatuk to assist growers with everything from spring planting, to fall harvesting and food preservation.
Regional agriculture initiatives will contribute to establishing a base for the NWT’s commercial agriculture sector, help to increase community wellness and reduce the cost of living. ITI delivers $1.2 million annually in programs and initiatives under the Growing Forward partnership with the federal government.
To learn more, contact your ITI Regional Office.
Are you taking part in agriculture initiatives in the NWT? Post your photos and comments with the hashtag #GrowNWT and tag @GNWT_ITI on Twitter. We want to hear from you!
