Demand for Ethnocultural Vegetables (ECV) in the GTA Huge GTA Demographic Changes since 1967 Our 2010 study: $61 million/month Horticultural Opportunity: ~$800,000,000/year

Local Summer production ECV Value Chains Backyard ECV Consumer Farmers Markets CSA /Home delivery, Contract systems Websites Farmers Market SM /Chain Stores Ethnic Stores Restaurants Logistics & Support services: Transport Processing Packaging Distribution Storage Advertising Etc. Direct Purchasing Pick your own ECV FARMERS Ontario Food Terminal Direct Importers Input Supplies: Seeds Tools & Equipment Land Labour Finance Insurance Fertilizer Agro-chemicals Extension Market information Etc. Small scale (New) Large scale (Experienced) Summer Local production Organic Local Summer production Outside Canada) Winter production (e.g. Mexico) Inputs Inputs

Ongoing Research VRIC, OFVGA, Univ. of Guelph, OMAFRA, etc. are promoting ongoing research on locally grown World Crops (Ethnocultural Vegetables) such as. Okra Smooth Amaranth (callaloo) Yardlong Beans Chinese greens, Bok Choi, etc. Asian eggplant Daikon radish, Bitter melon, etc.

Are Ontario Farmers’ Markets Sufficiently Inclusive? Affected by Farmers’ Crop Choices and Decisions About What to Sell at Their Farmers’ Markets Farmers’ Market Research Methods Cross-over Impact of Ethno-cultural Vegetables is expanding

Community Shared Agriculture (CSAs) are becoming more open to supplying Ethnocultural Vegetables More than 250 ON CSAs have developed along with the Local Food Movement as another alternative to the Corporate Food Regime CSAs produce lots of ECV and can be very enabling for culturally appropriate food production and consumption while expanding the reach of ECV

Contradictions Exist Between Cheaper industrial diet & healthy ethnocultural vegetables; Corporate Food Regime and Local Food Movement; Long and short distance ECV value chains; Capitalist farmers & both super-exploited peasants abroad and local temporary foreign workers; Industrial agriculture and small, organic ECV growers; Between European descent horticulturalists and multi- ethnic immigrant wholesale and retail consumers.

Increasing Local ECV Production and Consumption Change our Human Rights Code to require access to culturally appropriate food; Make Farmers’ Markets and CSAs more inclusive; Encourage more Food Hubs like Toronto’s ‘the STOP’; Expand and disseminate (KTT) horticulture research into how to grow ECV locally.