A new website and Facebook group looking it make it easier for locals and tourists to find farm stands across Niagara-on-the-Lake is taking off online this spring, as the national “shop local” movement continues to gain momentum.
Shannon Fletcher, who runs a daycare from her home, launched the Facebook group NOTL Farm Stands and Local Goods and website YourNOTL.ca earlier this month.
“It’s like a scavenger hunt for delicious local homegrown food,” she said. “A choose-your-own farm stand adventure.”
More than 200 people joined the Facebook group within 24 hours of its creation.
The tools allow users to locate nearby farm stands selling produce, eggs, honey and other goods via an interactive map.
“With everything going on with our neighbours to the south of here, I don’t think it’s ever been so important to support local,” said Fletcher.
The idea to create this group started last fall, she said, as she was “on a mission for pumpkins.”
“I thought, ‘How do I streamline this search? I need a map. A list of all the stands in one place.’ It didn’t exist,” said Fletcher.
The project is volunteer-run and relies on local vendors to register their farm and/or stand on the website. More than 20 stands and local growers are currently listed with more expected to be added.
Farmers and vendors can register for free on YourNOTL.ca to manage listings, including hours and products. Residents and tourists view the map without creating accounts.
“It’s so important to support the local farmers in our communities, and lucky for us, we live in one of the richest agricultural areas in Ontario, if not Canada,” said Fletcher.
Jason Chow has been the project’s “tech whiz” developing the website’s technical framework and is an admin on the Facebook group.
“I hope hotels in the area will be willing to use our website to show tourists local farms to find fresh produce, but it’s still in its early stages,” said Fletcher.
No formal partnerships with hotels exist yet, but Fletcher is hopeful about the future of YourNOTL.ca as a resource for residents and tourists to support local growers and agri-tourism.
