Foundation Pens Recipe for Local Food Sustainability
Growing Progress report highlights local-ag successes, but also lingering questions
VANCOUVER, Feb. 23, 2018 /CNW/ - British Columbians are passionate foodies, increasingly interested in the origin of what lands on their plate, and strong supporters of the Agricultural Land Reserve. But while organic markets, locavore restaurants, and grown-in B.C. grocery sections are proliferating, nobody really knows how much of the food we enjoy in this province is actually produced here.
That's one of the key findings of Growing Progress: Taking A Snapshot of Local and Sustainable Food Systems in BC, released today. The Real Estate Foundation of BC (REFBC) report examines how close we are getting to a future in which land in the province is protected and enhanced to support thriving, local, sustainable food systems.
The REFBC wants to ensure that agricultural land is protected and accessible to farmers, and that policy makers, food producers, and the public have the know-how and capacity they need to truly support local and sustainable food systems. Growing Progress suggests 11 measures we can use to track our progress. They include a shift in public attitudes about farming and local food, an increase in agricultural land in food production, and an increase in younger farmers, among others.
The REFBC report cautions that we don't know nearly enough about two important measures. First, we're largely in the dark on food self-reliance—as noted above, the share of the food we eat in B.C. that is grown in the province. Also, we could do with insights into applications to exclude, sub-divide, or permit non-farm uses of land in the Agricultural Land Reserve. This would allow us to take the pulse of pressures facing lands set aside for growing food.
"Our team found some impressive achievements, but they also came across gaps and inconsistencies in the data," says Jack Wong, CEO of the REFBC. "If we're going to make a more resilient food system, advocates, researchers, and policy makers need to get on the same page about what we're taking stock of, and how we're measuring it."
REFBC produced Growing Progress in an effort to help establish a shared vision of food and farm land, so that its partners can prioritize what they can practically achieve together, and more objectively monitor their effectiveness. If decision makers are to update food policies or best practices, they need defensible data to protect the public interest, and regular reporting on progress.
In a 2014 public opinion poll, the REFBC found overwhelming support for protection of the Agricultural Land Reserve. When asked about which land uses British Columbia should prioritize, 81% of respondents identified "farming and growing food." Growing Progress is the third in a trio of Real Estate Foundation of BC reports that take stock of key interest areas that the organization regards as central to thriving and healthy communities, ecosystems, and economies.
GROWING PROGRESS: TAKING A SNAPSHOT OF LOCAL AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS IN BC
About the Real Estate Foundation of BC:
The Real Estate Foundation of BC is a philanthropic organization that helps advance sustainable land use in British Columbia. It provides grants to non-profit organizations working to improve B.C. communities and natural environments through responsible and informed land use, conservation and real estate practices. Its funding programs support research, education, and law and policy reform. Since 1988, the Foundation has approved more than $80 million in grants. The Foundation also conducts research and special projects to support collaboration and knowledge-sharing around land use.
Learn more at www.refbc.com.
SOURCE Real Estate Foundation of BC
Stephanie Butler | Communications Manager | Real Estate Foundation of BC, [email protected] | direct: 604-343-2620 | toll-free: 1-866-912-6800 x101; Jack Wong | CEO | Real Estate Foundation of BC, [email protected] | direct: 604-343-2624 | toll-free: 1-866-912-6800 x104
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