This small-scale Dundas farmer is trying to make local food more accessible

Kyle Hutcheson spends most of his day outside, tending to the acre of land he rents on a Dundas farm. His pet guinea fowl, Pikachu, follows along behind him, her long beak close to the ground eating grubs from the beds of heirloom tomatoes, cabbage and edible flowers.

Hutcheson is the brains behind Planting Seeds Company, a Hamilton-based social enterprise that works to connect people, particularly in urban centres, to their food sources and to the natural world.

A lot of it's about trying to save nature," he said. The main core premise of my business is about planting the seeds in people's minds before what we have is gone."

Ultimately, Hutcheson, who grew up in Ancaster, hopes Planting Seeds will evolve into a hub that helps people create sustainable microenterprises to feed themselves and others.

For now, the 31-year-old is focusing on a project closer to home: experimenting on his own small-scale farm. Planting Seeds offers local food boxes with fresh, seasonal produce from Hutcheson's farm, participates in local farmers' markets, and sells organic products to stores in the Hamilton area, such as Mustard Seed and Horn of Plenty in Dundas. He also sells flowers like calendula and hibiscus to make natural remedies and skin-care products.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the spring, Hutcheson started growing his own food crops, a project he estimates will cost him about $4,000 in total, using money from Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).

There's not much funding for small businesses, microenterprises, and the money there for people to innovate," he said, adding that he hasn't had much success with government grants to get started.

For Hutcheson, a Western University sociology graduate, the social - and health - implications of food are paramount.

If there's no food or if people don't have access to or can't afford it, you see behavioural issues, you see more addictions issues, you see more health issues," he said.

Hutcheson has plenty of experience with food. While living in London, he ran food programs at Western University and Fanshawe College, helped non-profits start edible gardens and campaigned for changes to food policy - all in the name of addressing lack of access to food, and rising grocery store prices that create food insecurity, which he experienced himself when he was a student at Western.

In second year, the price of food was going up from when I actually budgeted," he said.

On top of that, the more affordable grocery store was an hour-long bus ride away. Farmers' markets were an option, but inconvenient for full-time students who also have a job.

It's only people who can afford to take time off, and can afford to do that, and happen to have the day off," he said.

Hutcheson said there's a big food movement in London that doesn't exist to the same degree in Hamilton. He is hoping to be instrumental in getting the conversation started.

Hutcheson is aiming to launch a public awareness campaign dubbed Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" in the fall, aimed at encouraging people to buy local, support farmers and produce their own food, where possible.

It was like, How do I share my knowledge and actually kind of propel this into a business where I can actually help people?'" he said. That was the idea behind Planting Seeds ... not only just planting seeds in the field, but that you're changing the way people think."

Kate McCullough is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: kmccullough@thespec.com