Vancouver Island boasts ideal conditions for growing a variety of food.
We have a mild climate, plenty of water and lots of arable land. Yet over the last 100 years, there has been a shift away from people choosing farming as an occupation and producing food locally.
According to the (CR-FAIR), Vancouver Island farmers produced as much as 85 per cent of the IslandB次元官网网址檚 food supply in the 1950B次元官网网址檚, while local agricultural production was estimated to supply only 5-10 per cent of the IslandB次元官网网址檚 food supply as of 2004. Food is also imported to the Island in much higher volumes today.
The decline in locally produced food can also be attributed to a generational shift: younger people are far less interested in farming and food production than their parents and grandparents.
B次元官网网址淭he proportion of [Vancouver IslandB次元官网网址檚] population thatB次元官网网址檚 actually engaged in farming over the last 100 years has decreased dramatically,B次元官网网址� said Jen Cody, executive director of . B次元官网网址淚t used to be that we were at like 50 or 60 per cent of the population that was actively engaged in farming and today itB次元官网网址檚 less than two per cent.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 been an increase in urbanization of our population and so more and more people are living in urban centers and less and less people are actually in rural areas where they have access to land,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 been an increase in the development of lands for non-agricultural purposes and more pressure for that development for creating housing and other uses for land.B次元官网网址�
Dramatic increases in land and housing costs have made agriculture less economically viable as a career.
B次元官网网址�(ItB次元官网网址檚 because) as an entrepreneur, or as a career, then other costs have also increased over time. ThereB次元官网网址檚 more cost in regards to labour and more cost in regards to the inputs required for producing foods,B次元官网网址� Cody said. B次元官网网址淏oth of those then decrease the amount of income that you would be able to support a family as a result of farming, so itB次元官网网址檚 made it a little less attractive to people.B次元官网网址�
According to the report by the Vancouver Island Community Research Alliance, the past 50 or 60 years has seen a movement away from meeting Vancouver Island food needs through local food production; and a corresponding shift towards increased imports (85 per cent).
B次元官网网址淗igh land values, increasing labour and input costs, and loss of processing and distribution infrastructure, coupled with a shrinking farming population has threatened the viability of the local food system on the Island and consequently threatens food security of the local people,B次元官网网址� states the report.
Linda Geggie, executive director with the CR-FAIR, agreed that a prominent barrier for a younger generation getting into farming is access to affordable land.
B次元官网网址淔arm land is producing more homes now than crops and thatB次元官网网址檚 a big issue,B次元官网网址� Geggie said. B次元官网网址淎nother is access to capitalB次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 quite capital intensive to set up a farm operation especially if youB次元官网网址檙e accessing any land that may be lower cost but doesnB次元官网网址檛 have any infrastructure on it, youB次元官网网址檙e going to have quite a bit of capital investment to get up to speed.B次元官网网址�
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But food security goes beyond ther farmerB次元官网网址檚 ability to grow. The food system, Geggie said, is a very complex and large system that includes everything from looking at where the IslandB次元官网网址檚 food comes from to gathering, processing, producing and distributing food.
B次元官网网址淲e have a lot of people on the Island who have limited resources or barriers to accessing their foods and so when we talk about food systems and food security, weB次元官网网址檙e not only talking about our ability to produce it, but also that the food is healthy, that our production systems are economically viable and that thereB次元官网网址檚 an aware and food literate population that knows how to cook and prepare meals and celebrate foods,B次元官网网址� Geggie said.
In the capital region, more than 50,000 people are food insecure and less than 10 per cent of food is locally and sustainably sourced. One way CR-FAIR is actively advancing food security is through an initiative called the Good Food Strategy.
B次元官网网址淲hat weB次元官网网址檝e done as a region is look at what is the food system that weB次元官网网址檙e tying to build and we have a food charter that lays that out and then what are the key strategies that we need to make to achieve long term outcomes,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲hat weB次元官网网址檙e trying to do is build capacity to bring the different players together, whether itB次元官网网址檚 the farmers, the retailers, the funding community, the policy makers, the educators, the health promoters and everything in between to try and re-orient our work, our energy, our resources and our investments into some of these key pieces that weB次元官网网址檝e identified.B次元官网网址�
According to the Food and Agricultural Organization, food security B次元官网网址渆xists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.B次元官网网址�
Geggi said thereB次元官网网址檚 a growing demand for local food on the Island.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 why you see those retailers getting on side, they want to be able to show where local produce is coming from, hence their new branding program,B次元官网网址� she said.
The branding program Geggie was referring to is theB次元官网网址檚 (VIEA) Island Good initiative.
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Island Good is aimed at increasing the strength of the local food economy by identifying and promoting food products grown or produced on Vancouver Island.
The pilot project will run through mid-September in Quality Foods, Country Grocer, Thrifty Foods and 49th Parallel stores. In all stores, shoppers will be alerted to Vancouver Island produced food products through signage and stickers.
George Hanson, VIEA president, said the Island Good campaign is their first step to build on the IslandB次元官网网址檚 food security.
B次元官网网址淥ur belief is that if Island-made food products are more easily identifiable and more accessible to consumers, that the raised awareness will lead to a greater demand and that greater demand will lead to more production,B次元官网网址� Hanson said. B次元官网网址淎lso perhaps develop a climate where others will say B次元官网网址榟ey thereB次元官网网址檚 a ready market, a proven market for quality food products on Vancouver Island,B次元官网网址� and that would encourage more investment.B次元官网网址�
ThereB次元官网网址檚 an abundance of community-based food hubs up and down Vancouver Island adding to food security.
Moe Vesey, president of, has implemented a Zero Food Waste program where volunteers collect food from the 49th Parallel grocery, Russell Farms and Utopia Bakery to give to people in need.
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B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e weighing the food everyday. As an example, in NovemberB次元官网网址e had over 4,000 pounds of food come in,B次元官网网址� Vesey said. B次元官网网址淭hat equated to over $9,000 worth of food we gave out.B次元官网网址�
She said they serve anywhere from 10 to 30 people a day and have seen as many as 120 on Fridays.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 passionate about feeding people. IB次元官网网址檝e had very many people in my life who have been trying to stretch their budget, whether itB次元官网网址檚 friends or tenants of mine,B次元官网网址� Vesey said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just a crime to throw food out in my opinion, itB次元官网网址檚 just wrong.B次元官网网址�
Cody with the said Nanaimo FoodShare has many initiatives that add to food security, including programs to get kids cooking, a seniorsB次元官网网址� food legacy project, an urban farm project that is designed to increase community food security, engage community members and organizations in growing food collectively and the Good Food Box program that allows people to get $15 or more of fruits and vegetables for a subsidized price.
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Outside of farming, Vancouver IslandB次元官网网址檚 quality of food coming from the ocean has also changed dramatically.
B次元官网网址淏ecause of climate change weB次元官网网址檙e seeing changes and shifts in the oceans that are changing what the availability of the seafood really is or the seafoods are polluted,B次元官网网址� Cody said. B次元官网网址淏ecause of the increase in some of the temperatures of the oceans then what weB次元官网网址檙e seeing is more red tides which then eliminates any of the shellfish from being harvested.B次元官网网址�
According to Strategies for Increasing Food Security on Vancouver Island, recent decades have seen a significant warming of British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 climate.
B次元官网网址淚n BC, the predicted changes in temperature and precipitation will mean wetter conditions during winter and spring and drier conditions during summer, especially in the southern coastal region, including Vancouver Island,B次元官网网址� states the report.
These climate changes on Vancouver Island have foreseeable, adverse impacts on agriculture and food security.
B次元官网网址淭he most significant of these will likely be reduced availability and/or the physical degradation of land and water, which is currently used for agriculture,B次元官网网址� states the report.
An April 5 open letter to premier John Horgan from the , lobbying the government to outlaw/phase out the open net pen fish farm industry, states that every effort must be taken to ensure wild salmon are restored to large numbers for the welfare of the numerous species that depend on them for their survival.
Meanwhile, the fish farmers argue they are adding to the food supply and the economy.
Geggie said thereB次元官网网址檚 been a huge change in the regulations, access and conservation efforts around fish.
B次元官网网址淨uestions are being raised around the practices for raising fish right now and how those are impacting ecosystems and traditional food systems,B次元官网网址� Geggie said.
People can add to food security in their daily lives by growing their own foods, supporting local growers and by educating themselves on how their food choices impact the climate and then passing on the knowledge to the younger generation.
