Food Security

Protecting our agricultural land and local food production is more important than ever before.

In recent months, raw food commodities, including wheat, grain, and corn, have more than doubled in price. This is the product of several contributing factors. Among them, rising energy prices have increased the cost of transporting goods, drought and deforestation have devastated arable land in Australia and parts of Asia, and crops that could be consumed for nourishment are being diverted into biofuels.

We need to confront this challenge on at least two immediate fronts. First, Canada's global food aid contribution must increase with the rapid rise in food costs to feed the nearly 100 million starving citizens of our planet. Second, we must ensure that we protect and enhance our local food production capacity as a bulwark against future spikes in raw food commodity prices.

Protecting and enhancing local food production begins with our agricultural land. As our population grows, there is always pressure to break through our urban containment boundaries (UCBs) and encroach upon agricultural lands. Many local governments in the province have done just that. But developing agricultural land to accommodate growth is killing the goose for its golden egg. It compromises our food security and quality of life while contributing to automobile dependent sprawl.

Locally grown food is fresher and healthier, and it has a much smaller carbon footprint. Since it arrives fresh, it requires fewer (or no) preservatives.

In order to protect and enhance local food production we must demand that all levels of government respect agricultural land and urban boundaries. Saanich Council deserves credit for respecting the UCB and preserving farm lands. However, even more can be done.

We must concentrate density in urban centres and buffer farm lands from suburban intrusion. We can work with senior levels of government and local partners to procure and protect farm land in the same way we preserve park land, providing agricultural opportunities for new and small-scale farmers. We can also encourage community gardens on public and private open space. We can require green roofs on new and newly-renovated projects with large square-footage, and encourage their use as community gardens. And we can support the expansion of "pocket markets" to provide easier access to local produce.

The emerging global food crisis is an ominous warning: Protecting our farm land and local food production is vital to our future food security.