Almost £1.7 million has been pledged to the Acorn Farm project under The National Lottery Community Fund.
Led by The Community Foundation in partnership with Derry City and Strabane District Council and The Conservation Volunteers, this project is encouraging people to take climate action through better food choices, growing programmes, climate focused activities and sharing learning to change behaviours. It will build networks across sectors, driving a new inclusive food movement in Northern Ireland and across the UK.
Acorn Farm will utilise the new investment to bring communities together to tackle food sustainability in the city and district. The funding has been awarded to The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland to develop the five-year project on Browning Drive, St Columb's Park.
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The £6.2m capital build programme begun earlier this year at St Columb's Park for a unique urban growing space within the city. The I Can Grow programme, which is part of the Acorn Farm project, has already helped 250 families in Derry and Strabane grow their own food, enabling them to continue to make healthy, home grown food a reality for years to come.
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Sandra Duffy said: "I'd like to say a huge thank you to The National Lottery's Climate Action Fund for giving us the opportunity to create something amazing in our city and district. It will be a completely unique project, unlike any other across the island of Ireland and we're really excited to see how it will progress over the next few years.
"This will be an innovative hub for the whole district to use, as we continue to build and strengthen the local good food movement. Acorn Farm will help create the link between food choices and the climate emergency, through the promotion of local, fresh and seasonal food.
"With the rising cost of living and the need to reduce our carbon footprint, there has never been time for Derry City and Strabane to get involved and grow together."
