Last week, I had an opportunity to sit in on the inaugural meeting of the Alberta Food Policy Council. Newly formed and just getting started, the food policy council brings a diverse group of food-related stakeholders to investigate and review how the Alberta food system is run and develop recommendations to ensure a local, secure and sustainable food system is maintained. The vision can easily be summed up here:
"We can be leaders in municipal and regional food-related policies and programs; we can support regional farmers and food producers; we can expand urban agriculture and food recovery opportunities; we can promote composting and the preservation of healthy soil; we can encourage humane treatment of animals raised for food • we can support sustainable agriculture and preserve farm land resources • we can improve access to healthy and affordable foods; we can increase the health of all members of our province; we can talk together and teach each other about food; we can celebrate the diverse food cultures of our province; we can facilitate the transition from Industrial Agriculture practices to Sustainable Agriculture methods."
While the Council is still evolving, there are many municipal, provincial and national bodies working at a grassroots level: re-claiming our local food economy and ensuring its sustainability. With the rise of multinational agro business, the increasing loss of fertile agricultural land to development and the distancing of those who live in urban areas away from their food and food production, we are letting something truly valuable slip away.
Enough people have begun to realize just what this loss could mean and are working to ensure that we consider more than just the easy economics. There is a deeper cost to the way we've been getting our food in North America; from the people that grow it, to the way it's produced and transported, we are damaging not only each other, the earth and ourselves, we are mortgaging our children's future health, food quality, and food accessibility.
It's time to get involved or just to get educated about the food system we currently employ in North America. There are some great things happening but there are also some sickening practices that have been allowed to continue. When it comes to our health, our planet and our children, we cannot sit back and do nothing. Consider a small act: join a community garden in your area; buy produce from a local farmers' market while we're in season; plant your own herb garden; volunteer with Sustainable Food Edmonton; teach your children about the rich history of agriculture in this province and where their food comes from; write a letter to your city councillor, your MLA or your MP to ask that food policy be included in the discussion...there's an amazing amount you can do today!
For more information, visit the Alberta Food Policy Council facebook page.
