By: Erica Carmount

Like many new Canadians, when Priscilla Muzira immigrated to Canada in 2004 she became acutely aware of the lack of land access and opportunity in her community. 

Back in Zimbabwe, Muzira and her husband were both teachers living in the school’s compound. Within its walls, the couple had space to grow their own vegetables, including corn to make staple foods such Sadza (corn meal). 

Muzira found out about community gardening when she moved to the Region of Waterloo. Having never had to buy vegetables or corn before, Muzira and her friends started gardening with the Salvation Army. According to Muzira, “It was hard because there are some types of vegetables that we grow in my country and I couldn’t find them here”. The closest food that Muzira could find was swiss chard, kale and collard greens. With just seven ten-by-ten plots, there was little space to grow staples like corn, only green vegetables and tomatoes.

When the garden closed, Muzira was introduced to Doug Jones, Board Chair to the Waterloo Region Community Garden Network (WRCGN). Through the WRCGN, in 2023 Muzira and her friends started gardening at the Petersburg Garden on a one acre plot. From May to October, the group was able to grow enough corn, green vegetables and food from their home countries to fill three freezers in Muzira’s home; enough food to last her until the next gardening season and to share with others in her community.

“Now we have the opportunity to grow some of the traditional vegetables that are not grown here”.

– Priscilla Muzira

 

Located in St. Agatha, the Petersburg Garden was created with the intention of providing people equitable ownership in order for them to participate in the economies of the day. According to Jones, the garden is a hands up model. Philosophically, it’s not about giving people fish, it’s about helping people learn how to fish.

Originally a pilot project in Bayden, the Petersburg garden provides nearly 37 gardeners and local organizations with 20 acres of gardening plots ranging from a half to a whole acre. Out of those 37 gardeners, 33 are new Canadians from Myanmar, Syrian, Kurdistan, Turkey, the Congo, Kenya, Sudan, Zimbabwe and Namibia all working to address food insecurity in the Region by growing food for their families and communities.

For Muzira, having access to community gardens means that others who cannot access a garden are also able to benefit.  “I think having access to this garden is very important because it doesn’t just help one person, it will help a lot of people”, states Muzira. 

Muzira learned to garden from her father who completely relied on farming to support his family’s livelihood and send his children to school. Like many who live in rural Zimbabwe, Muzira’s father learned how to grow food at a young age at home in order to survive. In the interest of empowering others to do the same, Muzira herself advocates for land access. She started and now coordinates the Growing Together Community Garden in Kitchener with support from Love My Hood, a grant matching strategy through the City of Kitchener that helps residents bring their community projects to life.

Advocates for land access within the Region are demonstrating how providing equitable land access contributes to the three pillars of food security (availability, accessibility, and adequacy) at the community level. Muzira’s story is an important example of how having access to just one acre can provide freshly grown garden produce to so many people in one growing season.