Community

The Heritage Gardens project’s purpose is to plant and maintain heritage gardens with the elderly and youth of the Cocagne river watershed. By stimulating the elderly’s involvement, we wish to allow an intergenerational exchange of knowledge on food security.

The project focuses on heritage, seed-related stories and garden plants through various activities coordinated by the PCSDG’s Seeds for Life Committee. To make this happen, we have brought out, researched and put into practice our ancestors, elderly and others’ (young and old) knowledge based on their interest in gardening. Several examples exist :

« Apparently, it’s said that the best potatoes to eat with salted herring are blue potatoes! »

« My grandfather cultivated Scarlet Runner Beans. I’ve always planted some and I’m ready to offer you seeds. » 

The Seeds for Life Committee coordinates the project and its objective is to encourage and facilitate communication between heritage seed producers, often resulting in a seed exchange. The committee made a commitment with the Bouctouche Farmers’ Market to plant various grains in pots – oats, wheat, barley and buckwheat. Members collaborated with Slow Food Cocagne Acadie during the Slow Food Canada summit in Moncton, and also with organizers at the Slow and Sloppy event in Cocagne.




Thanks to the 6th-grade class of the Blanche-Bourgeois school in Cocagne, and their school project « Jeunesse apprend sagesse » (Youth learns wisdom), the Villa Côte d’Or residents in Cocagne can now garden in raised beds. From April to June, students and residents met, on average, every week to discuss certain aspects of the garden. Through these discussions, they were able to draw out garden plans (in French only), chose their vegetables, and learn to save seeds. And of course, they participated in the sowing of the seeds in the garden.




The project allows for development of partnerships between the PCSDG, the Grande-Digue school and the historic village of Grande-Digue known as the « Musée des pionniers de Grande-Digue ». A garden of yesteryear is prepared much like a traditional Acadian garden, where you will find vegetables that would have been cultivated 150 years ago such as potatoes, carrots, turnips, beans, corn and other vegetables (see variety descriptions here; in French). Students from Ms. Caroline’s 5th-grade class helped elaborate a garden plan, conduct research on garden-related stories (see their French video here) and plant seeds in the garden. 




A partnership was forged with the Albert County Historical Society (https://www.albertcountymuseum.com/) for a Canada 150 project in order to encourage heritage seed exchanges with the Musée des pionniers in Grande-Digue. We shared stories about food, gardens and various seed crops with the aim of highlighting the solidarity amongst our ancestors and to strengthen biological and cultural diversity for the future. 


 

A partnership is ongoing with the MADA Committee (« Municipalité ami des ainées ») in Cocagne, which is helping with the promotion of the garden at the Villa de Cocagne. The objective of MADA’s steering committee is to promote physical activity within the community. The committee is lengthening the NB Trail to create a pedestrian link between the Blanche-Bourgeois school and the Villa. Furthermore, the committee overviewed the development of a sign displaying the active living circuits in Cocagne and detailing safety instructions.