Discover learning opportunties through our Online Certification Program offered through Toronto Urban Growers
TUG Urban Farmer Training Course Outline
Instructor(s): Rhonda Teitel-Payne, James Kuhns
Webinars: 9 live webinars over 11 weeks
Office hours: As needed
Course description
This course is intended for individuals, from all experience levels, who want to develop their own urban agriculture enterprise. The course is also relevant to people in the non-profit sector who want to integrate urban agriculture into their programming. Subject matter includes:
Course goals
Participant learning objectives
By the end of this course, participants will possess several critical thinking skills and knowledge related to building an urban agriculture enterprise in Ontario, including:
How this course will be delivered
This course will be offered online via Canvas and Zoom.
Each week of the course, participants will have access to online content to view before an online class. The class will feature live discussions, activities, and guest speakers (including urban farmers). As urban farming practices and business models vary widely, learners will have access to supplemental content and additional resources to address specific interests. Throughout the course, participants will use discussion boards for both structured and self-organized exchanges.
Each participant is expected to develop a business canvas and plan for their enterprise (or a similar plan for a non-profit initiative). Submissions will not be graded; however, participants will work collaboratively and obtain feedback from other learners, instructors, and mentors. To receive a certificate for completing the course, participants must attend at least 6 live online classes and submit a business plan.
A limited number of participants who complete a full business plan will also receive one-on-one coaching support.
Approximate weekly time commitment: 5+ hours
Overview of topics
Rhonda Teitel-Payne has cultivated food and urban farms in Toronto for over 25 years by coordinating community gardens, managing community food programs and working on policies to support urban growers. Rhonda is currently Co-Coordinator of Toronto Urban Growers (TUG), where she balances policy work with on-the-ground urban agriculture projects in partnership with the City of Toronto and neighbourhood-based agencies. Rhonda also teaches and partners on research projects at Toronto Metropolitan University, George Brown College and Seneca Polytechnic. She keeps her hands dirty in her urban jungle in East York.
James Kuhns has been working in food security and urban agriculture related activities for the past 25 years. He is an associate of the Toronto Metropolitan University Centre for Studies in Food Security, where he teaches courses on urban agriculture, and food security, and develops online courses. He is one of the coordinators of Toronto Urban Growers, a network of individuals, organizations and institutions committed to scaling up urban agriculture in Toronto. He is a former president of the American Community Gardening Association, a former member of the Toronto Food Policy Council and an avid backyard gardener. He holds an undergrad degree in political science and a M.Sc. in agricultural development from the University of London.
Toronto Urban Growers (TUG) is a member-based network of urban farmers, local businesses, organizations and institutions that aims to increase availability of healthy, organic and sustainable food produced and sold in Toronto. To scale up urban agriculture in the city, we cultivate relationships and innovations, generate and share information, link growers to land, space and resources, support emerging leaders, work for enabling policies and promote the benefits of urban-grown food.
