Just as Japan has been investing heavily in protected growing, Leamington, 225 miles southwest of Toronto, leads the North American greenhouse sector with some 2,000 greenhouses—which collectively contribute over $3 billion to Canada’s total produce sales.
Kiev, Ukraine (friendship; 1992)
Kiev, sometimes spelled Kyiv, is the capital of Ukraine and the largest city in the country with a population of nearly 3 million. It is one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, and residents speak Ukrainian, Russian, or a combination of both.
Today, Kiev is a major industrial center, home to an array of companies specializing in engineering, electronics, food processing, and other services. Covering a total of 324 square miles, Kiev, like Toronto, is a richly cultural city boasting more than 100 museums, 33 theatres, and 140 libraries. Kiev’s humid continental climate is also very similar to its Ontario sister, with average temperatures ranging from 23 to 76°F.
Ukraine is home to exceptionally fertile soil, called chernozem or ‘black soil,’ though it is not used for fruit or vegetable production. Instead, the government has been subsidizing the construction of greenhouses to reduce produce imports, with over 600 acres currently devoted to vegetable production. Toronto’s provincial sibling, Leamington, has over 1,500 acres of greenhouse production.
Renewed Focus: The 2000s
Milan, Italy (partnership; 2003)
The second largest city in Italy, the municipality of Milan (Comune di Milano) is home to approximately 1.3 million people with a total urban area population of 3.1 million, though the extended metro area includes an estimated 7.4 million people.
Like Toronto, Milan is a business and financial nerve center for its country, and also happens to be one of the top fashion cities in the world. Not far from Milan’s city center is a rural area known as the South Milan Agricultural Park, a thriving territory that produces a significant amount of rice and vegetable crops for Italians.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (friendship; 2006)
The largest city in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City is located on the banks of the Saigon River. Its extended metropolitan area has a population of more than 10 million— a whopping 4 million more residents than its partner city Toronto.
Ho Chi Minh City accounts for more than 20 percent of Vietnam’s GDP with the ag industry employing more than half of the population. Primary crops include rice, corn, sugarcane, cassava, sweet potatoes, and nuts. Vietnam has a robust trade relationship with Canada and is its top partner among the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states.
