Presented by Olivia Ronkainen, Mirella Stroink and Connie Nelson. Dryden Agriculture Summit Northwest Training and Adjustment Board

Transcription

1 Presented by Olivia Ronkainen, Mirella Stroink and Connie Nelson Dryden Agriculture Summit Northwest Training and Adjustment Board February 24, 2011 Dryden, Ontario

2 Building a Resilient Local Food System

3 Food Security Research Network FSRN began in 2006 and is dedicated to bringing together a unique blend of resources from the academy and the community for the purposes of Developing resilient, thriving and adaptive local food systems in Northwestern Ontario through community service learning (CSL), graduate student theses and community-based research Giving participants life-influencing experiences in being a symbiotic part of the organic transformation to an ecological focused food system

4 Facilitating Change Our core activities are encapsulated through our messaging of EAT, THINK, LEARN AND GROW as we engage in the transformation of the industrial food system.

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9 Other Initiatives Lakehead University Campus Garden Project Regional Community Gardens Brule Creek Farms' Grain Mill Gardening with Short Growing Seasons Book Community Supported Learning Projects

10 Proud to be Northern Grown On February 16 th the FSRN premiered a locally produced film Northern Grown How is Thunder Bay Feeding itself? As part of our research The Food Security Research Network interviewed five local producers of basic foods in an effort to better understand the challenges they face The film is available online;

11 FSRN: Getting to know Dryden

12 Crop Planning with Tourne-Sol FSRN invited local Dryden famers to a workshop with on crop planning with Frédéric Thériault from Tourne-Sol cooperative farm in Les Cèdres, Quebec. Regional community capacity building and community concerns Book available through the Soil and Crop Improvement Association

13 The CSA Model Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) The Farm Feeds the People The Community Support the Farm Farmers become teachers Community become students The FSRN is assisting farmers in developing viable community supported agriculture economic models Continue to expand and work together in co-operative models Organizations such as FSRN will continue to educate consumers on the importance of local sustainable food Specific to each farm, Northern climate and growing techniques

14 The CSA Model What is CSA? an innovative production and marketing model of agriculture that connects local farmers directly with consumers to develop a healthy and sustainable regional food system and strong local economy Why CSA success? Industrial and chemical farming/family farm crisis Deterioration of our environment, local food economies and human health People want to know who is growing their food where and how How does it work? A local grower offers a certain number of shares to the public. CSA members make a commitment to support the grower by purchasing a share (pre-season), and thereby sharing the costs, risks and rewards of growing food in a sustainable way

15 The CSA Model Why has the CSA movement been so successful? Increased perceptions about the benefits of eating local and supporting the local food movement Concerns about industrial and chemical farming crisis Deterioration of the environment, local food economies and human health More and more people want to know where their food is coming from, how it is grown and who is growing it!

16 The CSA Model Benefits of a CSA: To local farmers/ producers: Financial support at a time when it is most needed; preseason that more accurately reflects effort put into sustainable food production Stable, predetermined market to grow for and reducing marketing costs Local support and relationship-building with the people who eat the food you produce Shared risk with the consumers Working shares To local consumers: The freshest, most nutritious produce Supporting local and sustainable food production systems Relationship with the people who grow our food Learning more about local food production, and the true cost of food production Seasonal and diverse diets Honouring the knowledge and hard work of our local growers

17 The CSA Model The economy: CSA keeps local food dollars in the local economy by putting their money directly into the pockets of local farmers Keeps our local farmers farming The environment: Reduces energy use, transportation/fuel used, greenhouse gas emissions Eliminates chemicals and excess packaging Encourages agricultural biodiversity, conservation sustainable farming practices and land stewardship The FSRN is currently assisting farmers in Thunder Bay For more information on starting a CSA, please contact info@foodsecurityresearch.ca or phone (807)

18 Support Local! For every $ 100 spent in a locally owned business, $ 45 is re-invested into the community For every $ 100 spent in a chain store, only $ 13 is reinvested into the community Mostly youth and professionals leaving the North for opportunities elsewhere So how do we sustain our local economy?

19 Agriculture Training One solution: Promote sustainable local agriculture as a viable economic option in Northern Ontario! How is this happening elsewhere in Ontario and beyond? Farmer Training programs and Food Organizations: - Crop Planning with Tourne-Sol - Everdale Organic Farm and Environmental Learning Centre - University and College Student Farms - Agriculture Business Planning Courses - Farmlink and Farm Start - Local Food Plus - The Stop - Ontario Natural Food Co-op - CRAFT Internships

20 Agriculture Training In the next fifteen years, operators of 74,000 Canadian farms are expected to retire, ¾ without a successor to continue farming. Farming will require a significant growth in its human labour force, moving away from a mechanized, capital-intensive mode of production that is propped up by dwindling fossil energy reserves, toward more locally-oriented, smaller-scale, ecological approaches. We need more farmers! In order to do this we must create and promote good farmer training programs and expand upon programs that already exist..

21 Opportunities for Growth A first step. C.R.A.F.T. Ontario Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training in Ontario An informal, member-driven network of farmers that offer internships on their organic and ecological farms Over 60 Farms in Ontario involved Where is Northwestern Ontario?

22 More Opportunities. Northern Ontario Food Standards and the creation of our own unique Northern food certifier Local Food Plus (Toronto) LFP certifies farmers and processors who produce food in environmentally and socially responsible ways and opens new markets for them by linking them to local purchasers. Need for increase in food producers to supply restaurants, hospitals, grocery stores, schools, remote communities Need for more advocacy and policy workers to facilitate change

23 More Opportunities. Grow for the local food banks The Stop Community Food Centre and The New Farm in Creemore Ontatio have created an innovative program that lets you support sustainable local farming and provide fresh, healthy organic food to people in need in the Toronto area. When you donate to Grow for The Stop, your contribution is used to buy fresh organic produce from The New Farm, harvested weekly and delivered to The Stop for use in programs that serve over 16,000 people every year. Local sustainable food should be a right not a privilege!

24 More Opportunities. Everdale Organic Farm and Environmental Learning Center Co-operative storage and year Round CSA s Northern Ontario unique seed bank - sell and share locally saved seeds Superior Seasons Food Market Online

25 Producing A New Generation of Farming Northern Ontario Agriculture Education Research based on. Sustainability and bio-diversity Human rights and health Unique northern growing techniques Whole systems alternative education models Living Classrooms (regional farms) The knowledge commons Preserving knowledge while moving forward Self-reliance and alternative energy Strong regional networks and beyond

26 Upcoming Events

27 Upcoming Events Friday, March 4: Northern Food Connections Conference Food Action Network Hosts: Growing Relationships, Harvesting Opportunities Check out other news and events at

28 With over 50 active community partners FSRN is a regional partner here to assist in the promotion of long term economic, social and environmental sustainability within our local food system.

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