YFF MULTILINGUAL APP

York Farm Fresh Association is excited to announce the launch of their York Farm Fresh Multilingual App. This app features the 36 Farms and 8 Farmers’ Markets listed in the York Farm Fresh Guide Map, translated from English into 7 languages: French, Chinese - Traditional, Chinese - Simplified, Russian, Urdu, Tamil and Farsi. The app will increase the access to healthy, local, farm fresh food for 1.2 million residents of York Region and 5.9 million residents in the surrounding GTA .

“York Region has a variety of different types of farms for people to source local food. The map was originally created so farmers could promote their offerings and residents could discover local food’ says Jenna Pegg, Chair – York Farm Fresh. ‘This year, we introduced a multilingual app to engage with newcomers of our Region and beyond into the GTA! There is so much ‘freshness’ to enjoy that is so close to home, take a drive and see for yourself!”

This digital innovation will promote agri-tourism and local food opportunities in York Region. The app will provide links to members web pages, facilitating increased sales for farm businesses. Features will allow for real time updates of seasonal produce availability and public health regulations. The app is available for free download from the App Store for iOS and Google Play for android users.

A key strength of York Region!s $2.7 billion agri-food sector is its proximity to the large consumer population in the GTA. The pandemic has impacted local food systems with a need to strengthen community food security. In response to COVID-19, food trends have shifted towards greater demand for locally grown food. Many communities want to show their support for farmers and local food but are unaware of how to access the farms and farmers markets. Maps are available at member farms, farmers' markets, and can be downloaded from www.yorkfarmfresh.com