New solar-powered greenhouse project aims to combat food insecurity in Shelburne County

Work is underway on a volunteer-run project in Shelburne, N.S., that aims to provide thousands of kilograms worth of fresh produce to the community each year.

The Community Garden and Foodshare Association of Shelburne County was recently awarded $142,158 from the province to construct a new solar-powered and geothermal greenhouse that will operate year-round. The funding comes from the Department of Environment and Climate Change's sustainable communities challenge fund. 

Michael Kozak, the association's president, says the project will be instrumental in combating food insecurity, as various forms of fresh produce will be grown and distributed to people in need. The association will also donate to the local food bank, which has been struggling to keep up with high demand in recent years.

"Everyone should have access to healthy, nutritious food," said Kozak. "And isn't it better to eat something that's from 10 feet away instead of 10,000 miles away?"

He said the greenhouse will be entirely heated and cooled by energy from the sun and earth, and has the potential to produce approximately 2,000 kilograms of food per year. 

It will be built near the local high school on a plot of land donated by the municipality of Shelburne. Volunteers have spent months clearing the grounds and construction could begin as early as next week, according to Kozak. The project is expected to be finished by the summer. 

With growing efforts to support local producers, Kozak said this is a step in the right direction at a time when people should be thinking about ways to create more sustainable food systems at home.

"The only thing I can thank [U.S. President Donald] Trump for — the only thing — is the current political climate has made us more focused on the importance of food security and having access to fresh food should things happen wherein logistically, we're not able to get fresh food brought to us." 

Henry Penn, who is volunteering as the association's project manager, said this is especially important for rural communities that are more disconnected from major grocery chains and distribution systems. 

"That's just a part of overall community resilience," he said. 

He added that when the association shared its bounty from several outdoor garden beds back in the fall, everything was gone within 45 minutes. 

"That's, I think, a part of demonstrating just what it means to local people in the Shelburne area to have access to fresh produce," said Penn. 

Stanley Jacklin, mayor of the Town of Shelburne, said he's certain this initiative will have a positive impact on the community and believes Canadians rely too heavily on importing food from elsewhere. 

"I don't think it's sustainable with what's going on in the current world," said Jacklin. "We have to be a little more self-sufficient." 

Once the greenhouse is up and running, Kozak said the goal is to build at least three more on the roughly one-hectare piece of land. 

The non-profit association is currently run by about 30 volunteers, but they hope to create several paid positions and even collaborate with local farmers to make proteins and dairy a part of the food sharing project. 

Kozak said the greenhouse will be named in honour of John Davis, a local volunteer who founded the group but died suddenly in 2024. 

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