Urban Agriculture and Food Security Initiatives in Canada
Urban Agriculture and Food Security Initiatives in Canada: A Survey of Canadian Non-Governmental Organizations, provides an overview of existing community based organizing efforts to create more just and sustainable food systems. This survey identifies the many organizations and their networks currently working to achieve this goal and seeks to identify areas where there is still need for further research, work and creativity.
A community enjoys food security when all people, at all times, have access to nutritious, safe, personally acceptable and culturally appropriate foods, produced in ways that are environmentally sound and socially just. A combination of hunger, degradation and loss of agricultural lands, limited economic viability of small and medium sized farms and a general dissatisfaction with the food system in general has propelled community organizations to action.
Individuals and groups envision a variety of strategies to recreate food production and distribution systems. They are investing time, energy and resources into reconnecting people to food and the land. Urban food production and alternative marketing mechanisms are being implemented to diversify and localize the food system. Projects are undertaken that work to improve health and food access. Others are taking on environmental and land use issues. Effort is being made in areas of education, public participation and the building of a political voice to effect change at a structural level.
While there is skepticism of the abilities of urban food production to feed cities, evidence is being gathered that great possibility exists for feeding urban populations closer to home. Beyond pure food production, the ability to decrease transportation costs, provide employment and increase green space in cities are proving to be other strong motivators for action. We found most food production organizing to be around community and allotment gardening, rooftop gardening, and backyard gardens and urban farms. Many expressed that limited access to land, bylaw restrictions, input requirements, and restrictive urban planning were challenges to seeing the full potential for urban food production. Among examples of the initiatives listed in the report are Community gardens in Montreal, and the Rooftop Garden Resource Group.
Many organizations across Canada are working cooperatively with market gardeners, regional farmers and urban dwellers to create alternative food distribution and purchasing models. This document highlights alternative marketing in the forms of Community Supported Agriculture and Farmers Markets, as well as alternative purchasing through forms of food cooperatives, buying clubs, and Community Kitchens as strategies to reclaim control of food systems. Case studies chosen as good examples of viable distribution and purchasing initiatives are FoodShare of Toronto, and Regroupment des Cuisines Collectives du Quebec.
An important aspect of distribution is access to food. Currently many Canadians have a varied and nutritious diet year round, but many do not. The use of emergency food distribution services is steadily rising and we have also featured initiaves whose objectives are to improve individuals access to food and building self reliance through gardening, such as the Canadian Association of Food Banks and the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank.
Food Education and Skills Development efforts at the community level are also explored in this report. Almost all non-governmental and community based organizations linked to food security issues offer resources, information and educational opportunities to the public. Many also host Youth and adult skills developmentprograms such as LifeCycles of Victoria, and the Environmental Youth Alliance of Vancouver.
The following information is meant to point researchers and the public to organizations that are working on different aspects of food security and make known tangible community based organizing efforts. This document is testimony to the scope and breadth of community based actions in Canada. In the final section you will a bibliography, a list of resource groups and a directory of organizations by region that is cross-referenced to the chapter of the report referring to its work and focus.
The intent of this document is to inform both the research community of grassroots capacity and the general public about food security issues. To this end, the focus of the report is information rather than analysis. There is a lack of in-depth research, analysis and evaluation on the role Canadian community organizations play in addressing food security issues. It is hoped that this document will encourage and contribute to a comprehensive approach to food security issues in Canada.