SOUND OFF: 4 ways to take ownership of our food system this new year

When we buy from local producers, we bolster our own local economies and increase our capacity for food sovereignty. Seed Change writes that “La Via Campesina [a global movement of farmers] defines food sovereignty as ‘the right of Peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.’”

Creating demand for locally produced food enforces the need for infrastructure and systems that are more efficient for the production, aggregation and distribution of that food. Growth can scale up at a more organic pace, reducing risk for emerging producers. This can help break dependence on large corporations that dictate massive production scale but undercut local producers’ returns to export or otherwise distribute their goods.

Shopping locally yields higher quality produce. When we eat produce that has been allowed to ripen before it was picked, it is more nutritious – and often tastier – than the produce we get from big grocery stores. This is because imported produce is picked before it is ripe so it does not spoil by the time it reaches the consumer.

The 10 per cent solution

Plan ahead to get local for as many items as you can, and make a day/routine of it. For example, on Saturdays, you can go to the Farmers Market and then pick up your CSA box from The Stir. Anything else you need for the week can be bought from a traditional grocer.

2. Growing and Sharing Food

Why it helps

What better way to support the local food system than growing food yourself? Growing and sharing food is a productive use of land and space, and bolsters community growing knowledge and heirloom variety preservation.

Growing and sharing food significantly lowers the cost of food for communities. You don’t need to grow every plant variety — if you grow tomatoes and beans, and someone else grows peppers and squash, you can trade with each other and your produce options have doubled.

Sharing produce with others also allows knowledge transfer about growing as well as preservation and cooking. If one neighbour is skilled in canning food, they can teach others in their neighbourhood, and now that community has a supply of canned, locally grown produce for the winter.

The 10 per cent solution(s)

Grow herbs in your kitchen or produce that does well in pots on your balcony.

Join a community garden or connect with someone else in the city that has a yard or garden bed they aren’t using. Tip: utilize community bulletin boards and local Facebook groups to get the word out that you’re in need of garden space.

Join a gardening group in your neighborhood or in the city to learn more about growing and connect with people you can share produce with.

Access the Kamloops Community Seed Library for free seeds and information on growing in Kamloops.

Leave a note on your neighbour’s door saying you’d like to get to know them (maybe attach a piece of produce). A note is less intimidating than starting a conversation when you’re both on your way in or out of the house and makes it less awkward if your neighbour isn’t open to getting to know you.

Community pantries or food sharing tables can be another great way to share and exchange food items without any obligatory social interaction. A cooler in your building’s foyer, a cabinet in front of your residence, or even a fridge at your place of work can be a way to share surplus harvest, or any time you have more of an item than you can utilize. This approach requires someone to ensure any perishable foods are kept at appropriate temperatures, in a sanitary environment, and that any spoiled foods are composted.

3. Help establish and maintain food commons, participate in community food programing, like Gleaning Abundance Program

Why it helps

Public food programming like food commons (places where everyone can grow and/or access food, like the Butler Urban Farm or community pantries) isn’t guaranteed; often these programs are grant funded and can see financial support decline over the years. Offering support by simply participating in programming, or even volunteering, helps these programs prove there is demand for them to funders, and increases our community’s capacity to offer more programming.

The 10 per cent solution(s)

Make participating in local food programming a habit. Once a month, make time to go to a community meal, volunteer or participate in a workshop or program – and choose programming you’re actually interested in.

Do it with friends. It can be hard to try something new alone, so make it a more comfortable experience by inviting others to join you. (More attendees is also great for the programs.)

4. Recognize Your Power as a Consumer

Why it’s important

Consumers are the most influential decision makers in the marketplace and every dollar is a vote of support. Tremendous resources are invested in influencing your decisions. If you do not respond to this influence and take ownership to make informed choices, you break the cycle and restore power back to the consumer.

On the contrary, if you believe that our food supply choices should be left to the government and the oligopolies that influence regulation through financial incentives, the trend of concentration, inflation and vulnerability will only continue.

People everywhere are feeling the impacts of inflation and while there may be some contributing factors beyond control, it is calculated that 40 per cent of the inflation in the food system can be attributed to corporate concentration. Critical impacts can be noted at every step of the supply chain from the most basic inputs in agriculture to food processing and manufacturing, wages, distribution, retail and all sectors of food service. To learn more, reference this policy article from York University.

The 10 per cent solution(s)

Exercise your power as a consumer when you can. If your neighbour produces or sells eggs, choose to support that model.

In-person learning and conversations with community groups and members can be the best way to learn about your local food system. The next time you buy from that local producer, ask them about challenges they face in the food system.

Connect with your community. Whenever possible, choose alternative shopping methods such as a weekly or monthly CSA (community supported agriculture) pick-up. We can

support our neighbors or who are facing mobility restrictions or other barriers to picking up food by collecting their order at the same time we pick up our own.

Choose your own adventure

Taking community ownership of our food system needs to be a life-long commitment, so it needs to be sustainable for you. It can be overwhelming and unrealistic to make a lot of changes at once. From this list, what seems the most achievable for you? Set an intention this year to integrate one 10 per cent solution into your life until it is a consistent habit. Once you’ve made one change, you may naturally start to engage in the food system in other meaningful ways — and influence those around you to do the same.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by Jess Payette and James Maine

SOUND OFF: 4 ways to take ownership of our food system this new year

1. Buy Food from Local Producers

2. Growing and Sharing Food

3. Help establish and maintain food commons, participate in community food programing, like Gleaning Abundance Program

4. Recognize Your Power as a Consumer

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