I have been on a cross-Canada “Food For Thought” tour since the summer of 2008 and have managed to hear what people are saying in over 25 communities. One of the major recurring themes heard right across the country is the need for government support for local food initiatives.
Many communities have developed programs and support mechanisms to encourage support for local farmers.
For example, in the Lavandier region of Quebec the owner of 8 grocery stores gives priority to local producers when purchasing produce, jams, cheeses and other produce. He also provides an opportunity for customers to taste local jams and cheeses prior to purchasing.
According to an article in Country Life in B.C. (August 2009), there are over 100 farmers’ markets in our province. One of the initiatives is a Farmers’ Market Nutrition and Coupon program begun in 2007 that now involves 15 participating markets. According to the program 50 low income families in each community receive $15 worth of coupons per week for 17 weeks that they can redeem at any vendor for produce, meat, and eggs. In addition, this is linked to a cooking and skill-building program that assists participants to prepare nutritious meals. The success rate in B.C. is impressive with over 98% of the coupons redeemed, much higher that corresponding programs in the U.S. It takes approximately $25 000 to support one community of 50 families.
Unfortunately, according to Mary Forstbauer, President of the B.C. Association of Farmers’ Markets, government funding will be running out, so an appeal is going out to non-profit groups, companies, and private individuals to continue their program.
This example clearly illustrates the role senior governments can play in supporting local food initiatives. Farmers’ Market coupons encourage people to eat good quality food. This in turn helps prevent illness which obviously saves money in the health care system. At the same time local farmers are able to make a living as they produce quality food – truly a “win-win” situation. Just think what could happen if the federal government undertook a similar initiative much the same as the U.S. government does under its current Farm Bill. If we were to provide coupons to those on low income and seniors, the spin off effect would be enormous. Farmers’ Markets in general are strong economic drivers that attract people who in turn shop in other stores. A good example of this is in Ladner, B.C.
In the U.S., the state of Illinois has legislation signed into law supported by the Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force that establishes a council to develop a fresh farm and food system. It also creates a system that allows buyers in state agencies to pay up to 10% above the lowest bid when purchasing locally grown foods each year. The plan is to have 20% of food purchases spent on Illinois-grown foods by 2020. The overall goal is to capture more of the food dollars in Illinois.
Interestingly enough, here we have state government of a country that has signed on to NAFTA promoting local procurement for state government institutions. And yet, when approached under the same idea for our federal government institutions the response from the current conservative government has been that we have to be careful because of our “trade obligations”. The question we have to ask ourselves is why is our federal government not willing to support local farmers by mandating a buy local policy for its institutions. If the Americans can do it, why can’t we?
Tags: sustainability