About - Urban Crops

We’re responding to the current food movement

Urban Crops is a unique and exciting educational initiative dedicated to sustainable farming practices, slow food, and localization.

The food movement in Toronto has found root and is now thriving as consumers province-wide are becoming more informed and insist on environmentally-friendly choices. We are riding that wave and intend to stay for the long haul.

For almost ten years, we have been designing and building local food systems and ecological farms, and our production cannot keep up with demand.

How we help other growers

We started with a food-growing experiment called “the loft,” a project featuring over 200 plants in an industrial unit, both indoors and out. Today, we are the roadmap for landowners to build and operate their own farms, and we’ve worked with farmers, growers, restaurateurs, and local food initiatives alike.

Over time, we have developed the systems and processes necessary to working with the natural forces of the region, drawing on everything we have learned about best practices.

Running a conventional farm is not easy and CSA farms require specialized tools and educational materials. We offer those tools, along with training and resources, through consultancy work and online courses.

Our own 65-acre, ecological farm in Schomberg, Ontario (Cavaleiro Farm), provides a model from which you can learn, while we work with you in designing and building your own place in nature.

Let’s work together toward our common vision

Whether you are an ambitious entrepreneur wanting to make a difference or a seasoned professional thinking about your legacy, ecological farms offer a very attractive incentive for financial security and peace of mind.

This is not so much about farming as it is a means to an end; a way of finding good, local food and good health while encouraging responsible environmental practices.

OUR EXPERIENCE

Local Food Growing - 9 Years

Design & Engineering - 7 Years

Cooperative Organizing - 6 Years

Business Incubation - 4 Years

Urban Crops Consultants

Happy Clients

Farms Managed

A WORD FROM FOUNDER, Antonio

Growing up in a city, I never thought about farming. Now I have a company that builds ecological farms. I also operate Cavaleiro Farm, where I plant thousands of trees and have a flock of sheep. Never could I have imagined!

I got here simply because I wanted to know where my food came from. Local food has given me all of these opportunities, and it’s been so rewarding to be part of the local food culture. I’m healthier, I’ve met amazing people, and now I have nice animals and plants all around me in my daily life.

Urban Crops is what I wish existed when I first started and felt overwhelmed by everything that had to do with food. Now, I want to help other communities build their own food system and make local farms productive again.

Antonio Gomes

Farmer / Engineer / Еntrepreneur / Urban Crops Founder

COMMUNITY FARMING IN ACTION

OUR UNIQUE APPROACH

Now there will be water for plants, fish, fires, fishing, etc

Appropriate Technology

Urban Crops uses the latest science to work with nature, build soil, and create mobile technology that connects you to your food.

Entrepreneurship

A new local food system is growing, taking the best of the past and the latest in innovation. Local food takes an entrepreneurial spirit and can be challenging, but we think it’s the best long-term investment for our communities.

Systems Thinking

People eat, and farms can produce high-quality, nutritious food that people want. We think in terms of relationships and investing in building long-term, resilient food systems that can produce this food economically.

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Working with Nature

Working with nature can help lower your operational costs, build resiliency to intense weather events, and grow a lot more food. The starting place is always the same: ask what would nature do?

Popular Education

Food is deeply interwoven with society, our culture, and our landscapes. Changes in one affect changes in others. Popular education is a pedagogy for learning that we can use to build better local food systems.

Diverse Team

Urban Crops collaborates with a diverse group of freelancers, designers, and growers to bring different perspectives into our work—just like nature does. Everyone has a niche that can contribute to the bigger picture.