Here is a curated list of farms in and around Toronto offering various opportunities to get involved!
Do you run a farming/ agricultural program and are looking to involve youth in your operations? Make sure to contact us to to be featured on our database.
Black Creek Community Farms
At Black Creek Community Farm (BCCF) we strive to provide opportunities for community members to engage with our project in a direct, hands-on way. Our volunteers are instrumental not only in the growing of food, but also essential in the development of the project as a whole
Our volunteer program endeavours to accomplish the following:
- Provide a meaningful experience to volunteers.
- Provide a safe working environment for both staff and volunteers.
- Respect the knowledge, experience, and resources contributed by volunteers.
For more information, please consult the fact sheet.
Contact Information
Contact volunteerbccf@everdale.org or (416) 393-6381
Cavaleiro Farm
Do you know where your food comes from? May be you’re a farmer or just like to eat, one thing is certain; you care about food. We at Urban Crops are rebuilding and revolutionizing food production. We identify our self as the ‘social network’ of food. Urban Crops is bringing together individuals and communities with a single motivation- to be the future of food production. Whether you are a business or an individual, through Urban Crops, members will grow food, cultivate minds, and thrive together. Our goal- changing the way people relate to food… Join Urban Crops, and get to know your food!
Urban Crops operates Cavaleiro Farm and has many unique opportunities for volunteers. Volunteers have the potential of contributing to a diverse farming operation through a range of activities from directly interacting with the life giving soil to perhaps understanding more about their relationship with food…oh, plus have fun.
Contact Information
Antonio Gomes @ gomes.antoniogomes@gmail.com, 647-299-3090
Cultivate Toronto
Cultivate Toronto (CultivateTO) is a non-profit organization with the goal of turning urban backyards into a sustainable source of fresh, organic food for its inhabitants. Fuelled by a passion for healthy living, local organic produce, and environmental responsibility, we hope to spark a new revolution in sustainable urban living by providing the freshest, tastiest, urban-grown produce to GTA residents.
We hope to improve access to local organic food, foster leadership and education, and engage and connect the community in the rediscovery of local food. Our backyard Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) program is an innovative adaptation of the increasingly popular CSA model for alternative agriculture, and part of a greater movement towards access to safe, local food. Feel free to contact us for more details!
For general inquiries, please contact info@cultivatetoronto.com.
Contact Information
Christopher Wong chris@youngurbanfarmers.com OR info@cultivatetoronto.com., 416-238-5715
Dig In! UofT Campus Agriculture
The Dig In! Campus Agriculture Network exists to support, empower and grow small-scale, sustainable food production at the University of Toronto. We represent a network of autonomous urban agriculture projects, rooted in particular colleges, campus organizations, and academic departments. We also maintain our own series of demonstrative food gardens and provide programming related to urban agriculture and food issues.
Goals and Objectives
- Raise awareness at UofT about food and agriculture issues by providing events and programming on issues including sustainable agriculture, food security, environmental policy, and community development.
- Support and empower urban agriculture projects on campus through shared promotion and event collaboration, and by providing information, advice, or resources to new urban agriculture projects on campus.
- Enhance visibility, productivity and sustainability of campus agriculture projects by ensuring continued planning, maintenance and – when resources can support it – expansion of campus agriculture projects.
- Use local, sustainable food production as a platform for social, environmental, and academic engagement by encouraging experiential learning and opportunities for skill-sharing, sustainable leadership development and research collaboration.
Visit campusagriculture.ca for more information
Contact Information
If you’re interested in helping us put on exciting programming or plan our gardens, consider joining the Dig In! Planning Team. Send an email to campusagriculture@gmail.com
Evergreen Farmers’ Market
Evergreen started its Farmers’ Market in 2007 with 25 local farmers and producers, a great location and a great response from the community. Since then, Evergreen Brick Works’ Farmers’ Market has grown to become the largest farmers’ market in Toronto. Running year-round, we offer the widest variety of local and seasonal food in the city.
Healthier Food Choices
Our goal is simple: To work with our community to help people make healthier food choices. In doing this we will create a food system that is ecologically and economically sustainable. This means:
- Providing access to local and seasonal food
- Educating about the health benefits of seasonal eating and sharing the tools for success
- Supporting the local food economy in Ontario, including farmers, producers, wineries, breweries and chefs
We have lots of volunteer opportunities available in the Evergreen Brick Works food program.
- Farmers friend: Help us run the market! Assisting vendors, evaluating, money collection, set up and tear down, social media, customer service, research on food security and the food system.
- Food Educator: Help us educate the public about a different food related topic each week
Contact Information
Farmers Market
Ana Hall | Food Program Coordinator | Evergreen | 416-596-1495 X 230
Food Education Programming
Rachel Larabee | Program Coordinator, Food Education | Evergreen | 416.596.1495 ext 328
Organics Farm
We are a small certified organic family farm and market located in Markham. We grow pick your own and ready picked strawberries, raspberries and apples. We also raise our own meat that we sell in our market and bakery. We sometimes require an extra hand during planting and harvest season.
Contact Information
Annice Passafiume info@organicsfarm.ca
Plan B Organics
Plan B Organic Farm was established in 1997 by Rodrigo Venturelli, Alvaro Venturelli and Melanie Golba. This will be our 19th season growing organic produce here at our 50 acre farm in Flamborough. Our farm is Certified Organic by OCCP-Pro-Cert Canada.
WE ARE COMMITTED TO:
- Growing delicious, high quality vegetables, herbs, and fruits using organic farming methods that are in harmony with our environment.
- Providing accessible, affordable, and freshly harvested organic produce to households in our region.
- Working in partnership with other local organic farmers to reliably provide our shareholders with the variety of crops that our region offers.
- Creating a place where our community can come to learn about organic farming, the source of our food, and the natural cycles of our bioregion
Contact Information
Interested in getting involved, contact Alvaro Venturelli info@planborganicfarms.ca , (905) 659-2572
Rexdale Community Garden Network
The Rexdale Community Garden Network is a network of TDSB schools and public sector partners that assist emerging garden groups with shared resources and member support in the Rexdale community
Possible volunteer positions include:
- Assisting at the Children’s Garden Summer Camp
- Supporting local school Eco-Clubs
- Maintenance support for school and older adult gardens
- Support for our urban agriculture workshops and events
Contact Information
Interested youth may contact the Rexdale Community Garden Network at Rexdale.garden.network@gmail.com or Tania Fernandes 416 744 6312 ext 2357
Rye’s Homegrown
Rye’s HomeGrown (RHG) is made up of Ryerson students, faculty and staff who prioritize food sovereignty and responsible ecology. We employ a GROW to THROW (closed-loop food cycle) model and aim to create community by building innovative environments where traditionally siloeddisciplines intersect and interact. We invite them to gather in spaces around a common topic – food. RHG operates 8 edible gardens on campus using a variety of growing methods and techniques. We provide a source of healthy food for the university community and act as a focus for on-going discussion, experiment and development of a sustainable campus, and ultimately a sustainable city.
In addition to SEEDING edible gardens at Ryerson University, RHG hosts hands-on workshops which focus on urban agriculture and other aspects of the food system as well as events which invite everyone to dip their hands in the soil.
Be sure to contact RHG at ryeshomegrown@gmail.com for more information on drop-in volunteer days!
Contact Information
Arlene Throness foodsecurity.ryerson@gmail.com OR ryeshomegrown@gmail.com
Sundance Harvest
Sundance Harvest is a food justice centered, year-round, urban farm located in Toronto, Ontario. Sundance Harvest strives to provide resources, knowledge and guidance for youth who are marginalized within the food system to start their own food and land sovereignty movements, create their own urban farming practice and to eradicate institutionalized racism within the food system.
Sundance Harvest runs a free urban agriculture mentorship program called Growing in the Margins, which nurtures and grows the farm projects of BIPOC, LGBTQ2S and youth with disabilities from seed to harvest.
Contact Information
Interested in getting involved? Visit www.sundanceharvestfarm.com
The Cutting Veg
The Cutting Veg cultivates a variety of organic vegetables and herbs at the farm located in Sutton, Ontario (50 minutes to 1 hour from Toronto). To grow this produce, The Cutting Veg uses traditional Organic Agriculture growing methods, including crop rotations, organic matter use, companion planting, and cover-cropping. In addition to growing mixed produce, Through the Global Garlic Project, we grow and distribute nearly 20 varieties of garlic (eg, Persian, Italian, Korean, Israeli, Japanese, etc) whose seed originated from around the world.
The Cutting Veg distributes its produce through farmers markets, to box program providers, through on-line sales, and to various other outlets in the GTA. The farm day runs from 7:30am-3:30pm. Volunteer activities include a combination of planting, weeding, harvesting, preparing veg for market, plant care, etc. Helping out on the farm is a great opportunity to learn practical growing skills, and to meet wonderful like-minded folks, and to go home with lots of organic veg!
Contact Information
For more info, visit www.thecuttingveg.com, or contact Farmer Daniel Hoffmann at daniel@thecuttingveg.com, 647-388-7444