Louth County Council are set to launch the Louth Urban Food Sanctuary, following a €48,000 award from the government’s Creative Climate Action Fund II.
The council were awarded under the SPARK strand of the funding, which is for smaller pilot initiatives. A total of 24 projects have been selected nationally to pilot public engagement projects at local and community levels.
Louth County Council is the only Local Authority to lead on one of these projects.
The successful project, The Louth Urban Food Sanctuary, aims to empower the people of North Louth with the skills to develop local food resilience. Working with local creatives, the project will promote and demonstrate the importance of micro geographic food security by embracing the changing diet of Louth through the arts.
Louth Creative Ireland Co-Ordinator, Moya Hodgers, explained, “the awarding of this funding is a testament to the commitment Louth County Council has in looking towards our future and the sustainability of our local food chain. This place based approach looks at our changing climate, the people who live here and the food we eat. In attempting to shorten the length of food chains we will identify and promote the backyard growth of heritage Irish vegetables as well as trial growing produce not commonly grown here, but which due to our hotter climate, may now be a possibility on a larger scale.”
LCC’s Climate Action Co-Ordinator, Dr. Rory Sheehan added, “supporting and promoting local, sustainable food producers is a positive climate action. We are using the arts to look at what foods will best reflect county Louth’s population in response to our changing climate.”
Engaging with local communities and international students in DKIT, the produce for growth will be identified and through a series of socially engaging talks, lectures and workshops participants will be educated on the benefits of locally producing products for consumption, how to do it and given the guidance on how to sustain it.
Pamela Whitaker of Groundswell commented, “this is a vital initiative that encourages participants (of any age) to make a difference in their localities. This is art in the outdoor studios of our own gardens, balconies and local communities. Food security is a priority and everyone can be a grower and an artist. This is an opportunity to express a garden to kitchen ethos, create new recipes and to plan meal celebrations that bring people together. Local food growing encourages pride of place and the pride of each person as they cultivate life giving edible habitats.”
The Louth Urban Food Sanctuary will begin in the autumn of 2023 and will run until the end of 2024.
Source: Louth County Council
