About Zawadi Connections
Zawadi Connections Inc. builds community food infrastructure — then deploys it as working solutions into Toronto’s food system. Founded 2022 at Downsview Park. Active TRCA vendor. Confirmed TDSB and OISE workshop presenter. Richview Industrial Kitchen licensing agreement in progress.
Zawadi Connections was founded on a clear observation: Toronto’s food system has the farms, the community need, and the institutional will — but lacks the infrastructure connecting them. The kitchen sits empty. The curriculum doesn’t exist. The land goes under-stewarded. The meal never gets made. Zawadi Connections was built to change that — not through advocacy alone, but by building the actual systems the food system requires and deploying them through real institutional partnerships.
Zawadi Connections Inc. is a registered not-for-profit, distinct from but deeply linked to Zawadi Farm Inc. Together, the two organizations form a complete ecosystem: Zawadi Farm grows and produces on 5 acres at Downsview Park. Zawadi Connections builds and deploys the infrastructure — the curriculum, the kitchen, the events, the partnerships — that turns that production into community benefit.
Mission
To build community food infrastructure and deploy it as working solutions — through licensed kitchens, deployable workshop curricula, land stewardship frameworks, and community events — so that Toronto’s local food system serves everyone.
Vision
A Toronto where every community has access to the food system infrastructure it deserves — where the kitchen is managed, the curriculum is deployed, the land is stewarded, and the table is set for everyone.
Values
Food is a right, not a resource. Every system Zawadi builds is designed to last beyond the funding cycle that created it. Every partnership is documented, insured, and operational. We hold the trust of our community — and our institutional partners — with the same care we give the land.
Founder
Jessey Njau is the Founder and Executive Director of Zawadi Connections Inc. and Zawadi Farm Inc. He oversees all organizational infrastructure — from the TRCA land stewardship agreement and Richview Industrial Kitchen licensing, to the TDSB and OISE conference partnership and the Black School Food Working Group national coalition. Jessey represents Zawadi in every institutional conversation and sets the strategic direction for how Zawadi’s infrastructure systems are built and deployed.
Education Director
Jon leads Zawadi's education programming, bringing vermicomposting workshops and food justice curriculum into Toronto schools and community spaces. He is the lead contact for the TDSB partnership application and the 2026 Harvesting Knowledge Conference at Evergreen Brickworks.
Education Program Lead
Corinna works alongside Jon to design and deliver hands-on educational experiences that connect K-12 students, educators, and community members to the living processes of food production — from soil to table.
Zawadi Connections Inc. is a registered not-for-profit organization. Support the work by donating, volunteering, or partnering with us.
Donate NowGet InvolvedThese are the organizations Zawadi Connections is actively working with as of April 2026.
Toronto & Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
Through the Zawadi Land Stewardship Initiative, we steward agricultural land and generate earned revenue that supports community programs. ZLSI is a registered active TRCA vendor.
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto
Academic partner for the Harvesting Knowledge Conference, connecting our workshops to teacher training and food justice research at the graduate level.
Richview Residence
Kitchen infrastructure partner providing licensed commercial kitchen access for Zawadi Connections Inc. Certificate of Insurance finalized April 2026.
