Grow Local Society

Grow Local Society nurtures a resilient food system through community engagement. We achieve this through operating farmer's markets and implementing food security projects in the community. The Coquitlam Farmers Market was the first suburban Farmer’s Market in the Lower Mainland. It has now expanded to operate a summer Farmer's Market in Coquitlam and Port Moody, and winter Farmer's Market in Port Moody. In 1997 the Farmers' Market began with the dual mandate of increasing access to locally grown and produced food, and creating a family friendly space for social gathering in the community. As one of the earliest pioneers of the local food movement, we have raised consumer awareness about the benefits (health, economic, environmental) of eating more locally produced food and provided an avenue for them to connect directly with their food source. While this represents our organization’s core activities, we feel a social obligation to move beyond this mandate and be more proactive in outreach and strategic planning activities given public policy shifts occurring in the areas of healthy living, climate change, and the development of more livable communities.