Renewable energy powers food production at Just Food Farm

Located in the Ottawa Greenbelt, Just Food Farm is a 150-acre demonstration farm that models sustainable food production and practices. It’s also a community gathering place and an important training ground for local people interested in growing their own food.

And now, it’s home to a solar energy installation that shows how renewable energy can power sustainable food production.

“A solar installation is a way we can demonstrate alternative forms of energy that can help power a farm,” says Just Food coordinator Jordan Bouchard. “And that’s what we do here: we demonstrate new opportunities that farmers can integrate into their systems.”

Thanks to the support of Bullfrog Energy and Beau’s Brewery, the project was installed in fall 2017.

“The farm itself is powered by the sun; that’s how we grow our vegetables,” says Noel Dinghra, a Just Food farmer. “So having our cooler and other infrastructure powered by a solar installation is really great for us. It feels good.”

Video by Christopher Snow and Rémi Thériault, with additional edits by Jeremy Williams.

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