The askîy project

Home
Canada
Saskatoon, SK
The askîy project

Grow where you've never grown before. An urban agriculture initiative of CHEP Good Food Inc. What is Urban Agriculture? S. What happens to the food we grow?

The purpose of The askîy project is to demonstrate urban agriculture by educating and empowering the Saskatoon community with the knowledge and skills needed to create a self-sustainable food economy. Urban agriculture is the practice of growing, maintaining, and distributing healthy food products within city limits. The possibilities of urban agriculture are endless as more creative minds band to

gether to reach this common goal! The Initiative

Each summer, we hire interns to join our coordinator in learning and building community through growing good food. The askîy project (pronounced uh-SKI), which in Cree means “Earth,” is an initiative of CHEP Good Food Inc. Since 2015, our project has showcased innovative urban agriculture in Saskatoon. Our current growing sites are kiscikânis (garden in Cree) which is a brownfield vacant lot site on the corner 19th Street and Ave L S. kiscikânis uses only containers to grow as the ground soil is contaminated by the former use of the site as an industrial fuel storage centre. In 2021, we added an additional site in Victoria Park at 720 Ave H. This is a large in ground garden which is called ketayak community kistikana (Elders' Community Garden in Northern Michif). We have partnered with CUMFI (Central Urban Metis Federation Inc.) at this site to help grow vegetables for their programs and Elders. Much of our produce goes directly into CHEP's food security programming, such as the Good Food Box and Community Markets. We make partnerships to sell to local restaurants, which generates income through our social enterprise model. Donations to other community organizations are also one of the ways we help support our community.

04/23/2025

🌱Join our drop-in Healthy Yards Gardening Workshop Series & Volunteer Nights this spring/summer season!🌱
We're excited to facilitate FREE, regular urban agriculture workshops throughout the 2025 gardening season. We're equally looking forward to hosting volunteers in our ketayak community garden, where our community can come together to care for our land and grow good food!

Here is our lineup for May: 👇
🗓Garden Planning Workshop / Volunteer Night: [May 13th]
Are you excited to get into gardening this season, or have a new space to tend? Join us to talk about a few garden planning basics.

🏢Small Space & Container Gardening Workshop / Volunteer Night: [May 20th]
Looking for ways to stretch your grocery dollar? Explore the versatility, tips, and
tricks for growing successfully in containers and small spaces, whether you are in a house or apartment. We will review considerations for plants, soil, light, and water.

🐝Mulch Workshop / Volunteer Orientation & Work Bee: [May 27th]
Discover the many benefits of adding mulch to gardens and containers. In this session we will review different types of mulch, when to add it to your garden, and the most economical options to use.
Have questions? Contact us at [email protected]!
We hope to see you in our growing and learning space this year!😀👩‍🌾

10/07/2024

We blinked and missed summer!

Join us for one last garden gathering this week Thursday! Come and go - 4:30-6:30pm. Pull some weeds, and grab a treat and a cup of tea.

Wear closed toed shoes and dress for the weather - it gets chilly quickly at sunset. 🍂

Address

Saskatoon, SK
S7M0Y8

Telephone

+13066554575

Website

http://www.chep.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The askîy project posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to The askîy project:

Shortcuts

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Saskatoon?

Our Story

Grow where you’ve never grown before.

The askîy project (pronounced uh-SKI), which in Cree means “Earth,” is an initiative of CHEP Good Food Inc.

The askîy project demonstrates urban agriculture by educating and empowering the Saskatoon community with the knowledge and skills needed to create a self-sustainable food economy.

CHEP Good Food Inc. and the askîy project respectfully acknowledge that we operate our programs and grow our gardens on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis.

The askîy project is an internship opportunity for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth to learn together and from each other. The askîy project strives to provide a space where cross-cultural learning and community connections can be created and nurtured. What is Urban Agriculture? Urban agriculture is the practice of growing, maintaining, and distributing healthy food products within city limits. The possibilities of urban agriculture are endless as more creative minds band together to reach this common goal! In the summer of 2019, one coordinator and 5 youth interns have set out to use a vacant brownfield lot on 19th Street West. Our farm uses containers raised above the soil to avoid any potential soil contamination from the site’s previous use as industrial fuel storage. The interns are challenged to complete the following tasks: 1) Grow food in an environmentally sustainable way within Saskatoon city limits particularly in the core neighbourhoods. 2) Engage with the community to demonstrate the possibilities and benefits of growing food in small city spaces (tours, pamphlets, posters, etc). 3) Encourage reclamation of the land and discuss the importance of urban agriculture as a resistance to the current mainstream food system. 4) Find a place to sell the food (restaurants, Farmers Market, U of S, local programs/initiatives, etc) 5) Market the product – develop a brand, logo, promotion package, and marketing strategy. 6) Meet, learn from, and volunteer for local gardening experts. 7) Help out in the community 8) Lead the way for future interns

We welcome feedback on any aspect of our project or our social media page. Please send your comments to our page’s Facebook inbox or to [email protected]