VIDEO - NOVA SCOTOA: Hydroponic Farm in New Glasgow Offers Food Stability, Job Opportunities

January 20, 2026

Here's the thing about Summer Street Farm in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia: it started with people who just wanted to do something impactful around food. That's it. No grand strategy. Just people with diverse abilities saying "we want to grow something good here."

And then they actually did it.

They launched a fully accessible, solar-powered farm to grow, sell, and donate fresh greens - and displace thousands of pounds of imported produce that used to travel hundreds of miles.

They didn't do it alone. The board found courage to innovate. Funders believed in something small and local. Growcer was there every step of the way.

In the end, the participants turned an idea into something real. 

This isn't going to save the world. It's not meant to. But it can change someone's day, what's on their plate, or where they go to work. And if your world feels heavy right now, zoom in. 

When the big picture feels overwhelming, this is the reminder: change happens when people stop waiting for someone else to fix things and just start: locally, imperfectly, together.

Summer Street Farm at a Glance

Participant-led vision to grow, sell, and donate local food, shaped by Participant Council priorities 

Year-round, closed-environment farm with fully accessible design with future educational/entrepreneurial opportunities in the works

Powered in part by an on-site solar array, supporting sustainable food production 

Why aren’t there more Indigenous foods in Canadian grocery stores? The answer is complex and varies by producer.

 From difficulty fulfilling large orders to low wholesale prices that shrink margins beyond profitability, small producers are opting to build relationships with boutique stores or sell directly to consumers to preserve the integrity and quality of their products. However, this comes at a cost of discoverability among more consumers. 

Across the country, reports show food bank usage has hit unprecedented heights, even for those who are working.

It highlights how the growing cost of living and inflation are not keeping up with wages and putting strain on food banks and non-profits to fill in the gaps for families. 

While a 20-tier vertical farm may not be replicable everywhere, it is cool to watch seedlings ride a plant elevator to their home in the pink sky.