Urban Roots is an urban agriculture nonprofit that repurposes underused land inside the city boundary for growing fruits and vegetables. Executive Director Anna Badillo shares her journey from adopting the playful "Farmer Anna" persona during the pandemic to leading a community-driven organization addressing food security and sustainability. She discusses Urban Roots' innovative "model of thirds," which balances food donations, affordable sales, and market-rate sales to ensure equitable access to fresh, healthy produce. Anna highlights the organization's focus on community building, hands-on learning, and sustainable farming practices, including low-till methods and native pollinator gardens. She also explores the transformative potential of urban agriculture in challenging industrialized food systems and promoting food literacy. From quirky beginnings to impactful leadership, Anna’s passion for grassroots organizing and climate action shines through. In this episode, you’ll discover how Urban Roots is cultivating fresh food and connected communities while inspiring hope for future generations.

Anna Badillo is the Executive Director of Urban Roots London. She is a multifaceted community organizer, academic, and activist whose work spans various fields and disciplines. She is passionate about food security, land-based education, and creating inclusive and equitable environments that promote community and relationship-building.

Visit bio.site/GrowAbilityPod for links to our StoryHub and Socials.

• Website: urbanrootslondon.ca
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urbanrootslondon
• Twitter: https://x.com/UrbanRootsLdnOn
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UrbanRootsLdnOnt
• Nourish Leadership: https://nourishleadership.ca/
• Report co-authored with Dr. Gabor Sass: https://www.urbanrootslondon.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sass-Badillo-Urban-Agriculture-as-Climate-Action-2024-2.pdf

GrowAbility is hosted by Joe Gansevles and Holly Pugsley, and produced by Joe Gansevles and Adam Caplan.

Special thanks to this week’s guest, Anna Badillo.

Lighting & Camera design by Kevin Labonte, with production support from Oliver Gansevles.

GrowAbility’s production was made much easier with the help of Jesse Chen, Terry Fujioka, Zack Grossman, Zachary Meads, Leo Shin, and Debora Camargo from Fanshawe College's Broadcasting Television & Film Production Program.

Thanks to Janice Robinson from Fanshawe for arranging for these students invaluable participation.

Holly Pugsley of Just Keep Growing provided the plants and made sure they looked great.

Audience and Marketing Strategy by Japs Kaur Miglani with support from Doruntina Uka and Tess Alcock.

Our theme music is Wandering William by Adrian Walther and can be found on Sound Stripe.

Thanks as well to Hubert Orlowski for providing technical and audio engineering advice to help our podcast sound great.

Adam Caplan is web.isod.es Executive Producer and Sammy Orlowski is our Senior Creator.

Special thanks to Jennifer Routly from Siskinds The Law Firm, for arranging to host us at their beautiful head office in downtown London, Ontario.

GrowAbility is a webisodes production and is produced with the support and participation of the team at The PATCH and Hutton House.

On this episode of GrowAbility, Joe speaks with Dr. Mike Courey, a farmer and academic, about his transformative journey from academia to farming at New Moon Community Homestead. Located on a 200-acre farm in Southern Ontario, Mike shares how he integrates sustainable agriculture, biodynamic farming, and social justice into his daily work. They explore the challenges of balancing food production with community engagement, and the farm's collaboration with Rose Land Care Association to preserve land for future generations. Mike also reflects on his previous work with the London Poverty Research Center and how it influences his mission to connect urban and rural communities. Tune in for a deep dive into farming as a platform for social change and environmental stewardship.

Dr. Michael Courey runs the New Moon Community Homestead within the Rose Land Care Association, a nonprofit dedicated to sustainable agriculture and land stewardship.

From 2017 to 2021, Mike was the Director of the Poverty Research Centre at King's University College. More recently, Mike lead the Inclusive Economy London network, a collective impact project integrating community economic development with poverty reduction and sustainability outcomes.

Academically, Mike specializes in the areas of urban sociology, critical criminology, community organizing, and program development/evaluation. Michael is passionate about bridging the space between academia and community organizing for social change focusing on knowledge mobilization and community based action research approaches. His most recent work involves leading the Inclusive Economy London network, a collective impact project integrating community economic development with poverty reduction and sustainability outcomes.

Connect with Mike on LinkedIn

In this episode of GrowAbility, Joe sits down with Mystery Furtado, a registered nurse and founder of Type Diabeat-It, a BIPOC-led diabetes organization. Mystery shares her personal journey with diabetes, the impact of food insecurity on marginalized communities, and her efforts to promote culturally relevant healthcare in Canada. She discusses her work in urban agriculture, growing African diaspora crops, and her entrepreneurial venture, Granny P’s Sea Moss Gel, which supports her non-profit initiatives. Mystery emphasizes the importance of community in her mission to improve food security, health education, and diabetes prevention.

Mystery Furtado is a passionate advocate for food security and holistic health. As an internationally trained nurse, she has dedicated her career to addressing the gaps in healthcare for marginalized communities, particularly in diabetes prevention. Mystery’s work extends beyond healthcare into urban agriculture, where she spearheaded London, Ontario’s first Black-led community garden. This initiative provides access to culturally relevant crops and promotes food literacy through hands-on programs. A single mother of two, Mystery is deeply committed to empowering her community and creating sustainable solutions for food insecurity. Her efforts have earned her numerous accolades, including the prestigious "20’s in Her 20’s" award.

Type Diabeat-it

• diabeat-it.ca
• Instagram.com/typediabeatit
• Facebook.com/typediabeatit

Granny P's

• grannyp.ca
• Instagram.com/grannyp.ca
• Facebook.com/grannyp.ca

GrowAbility

• StoryHub: growabilitypod.com
• Socials & Links: site.bio/growabilitypod
• Fresh & Nutritious Newsletter: growabilitypod.com/why-subscribe/

GrowAbility is hosted by Joe Gansevles and Holly Pugsley and produced by Joe Gansevles and Adam Caplan.

Special thanks to this week's guest Mystery Furtado.

Lighting and Camera Design by Kevin Labonte, with production support from Oliver Gansevles.

GrowAbility's production was made much easier with the help of Jesse Chen, Teri Fujioka, Zach Grossman, Zachary Meads, Leo Shin and Debora Camargo from Fanshawe College's Broadcasting Television and Film Production program. Thanks to Janice Robinson from Fanshawe for arranging for these students invaluable participation.

Holly Pugsley of Just Keep Growing provided the plants and made sure they looked great.

Audience and Marketing Strategy by Japs Kaur Miglani with support from Doruntina Uka and Tess Alcock.

Our theme music is Wandering William by Adrian Walter and can be found on SoundStripe.

Thanks as well to Hubert Orlowski for providing technical and audio engineering advice to help our...

Dr. Gabor Sass shares his passion for connecting people and ideas across various spheres of influence, emphasizing the importance of community involvement and sustainable practices. His insights into ecological planning and the impact of urban development on the environment, his work in permaculture principles and advocating for systems that respect nature and promote equitable sharing are firmly rooted in a desire for equity, belonging, and resilience. Gabor's conversation with Joe demonstrates the power of perseverance, collaboration, and innovative thinking in creating sustainable urban environments that connect people with their food and each other.

Dr. Gabor Sass is a recognized ecosystem scientist, sustainability expert, consultant, university instructor, writer and community activator who has lived in London with his family for 20+ years. Gabor is a part-time Assistant Professor at Western University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in environmental science, urban sustainability and biogeography. He has over 20 years of research and consulting experience studying and reporting on the hydrology, ecology and related sustainability problems of boreal, agricultural, and urban landscapes across Canada.

Gabor is also co-founder of The PATCH, a not-for-profit advancing urban agriculture work in London. Gabor's community building includes initiatives like the Food Forests in Wood Street Park and West Lion's Park and the Pollinator Pathways Project, neighbourhood projects that have introduced residents to urban agricultural practices and current sustainability concerns. Gabor is a recognized environmentalist in London, receiving the Mayor’s Honour Roll for the Environment in 2019, serving as London Public Library’s inaugural Environmentalist-in-Residence and appearing frequently as speaker and panelist at public events. Gabor and his family work at implementing sustainable practices into their lifestyle wherever they can.

• The PATCH LONDON patchlondon.ca
• Dr. Gabor Sass on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabor-sass-a7a64091
• KeVA & Wood Street Park Food Forest: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Woodstreetparkfoodforest/

• StoryHub: GrowAbilityPod.com
• Socials & Partner Links: bio.site/growabilitypod

GrowAbility's usual host, Joe Gansevles, sits in the guest's chair on our very first episode. Producer Adam Caplan talks with Joe about the origins of this project and what you, our audience, can expect from GrowAbility.

We want to hear from you. Joe's email is joe@growabilitypod.com or just use our Contact form.

Follow our socials above, and find all our links, including the partner organizations Joe mentioned in his inteview at bio.site/growabilitypod.

Watch for new episodes every Wednesday.

• The PATCH London - The urban farm that started it all.
• Hutton House Association for Adults with Disabilities - One of the founding collaborators on this project, and the parent organization for The PATCH.
• Our Links - Find us on the internet! All of GrowAbility's links in one place.

Curious about what you can expect from GrowAbility's podcast? Hosts Holly and Joe describe what GrowAbility is all about.

From our StoryHub at GrowAbilityPod.com to a brief overview of the show's first guests, this episode explains it all.

Plus, you can watch this episode in video. Just visit https://GrowAbilityPod.com/video-podcast-promo

We've got great things in store, so be sure to subscribe to this podcast on your favourite podcast platform, and visit GrowAbilityPod.com to get a free subscription to our site and newsletter.