Buying local food by Sean Peterson

Local: Buying local food to fight climate change
Sean Peterson, The Martlet (University of Victoria)
VICTORIA (CUP) — Buying locally produced food can help to fight climate change, say experts, but little is being done to move in that direction.
Tom Henry, a farmer on Vancouver Island and the editor of Small Farm Canada magazine, is concerned that consumers and the government are not taking action while agricultural infrastructure in Canada slowly declines.
Henry was one of four panelists at an open forum that examined the impact of global warming on British Columbia’s food supply, held at the University of Victoria, on June 1.
“There are conferences like this taking place all over the world, yet there isn’t a parallel rise in local food production. I see the local food movement as a glorious cathedral, and the producer as a lone hippy underneath, squatting on the floor, banging two pieces of wilted rhubarb together,” Henry said.
One of the key concerns presented was the amount of green- house gas produced by current food systems.
“We cannot deal with global warming without radical changes to our food system,” said panelist Cliff Stainsby, who is a board member with both Food Secure Canada and the BC Food Systems Network.
While food might be inexpensive at the cash register, Stainsby said, the environmental costs of current food practices are too high.
To yield 30 kilograms of corn, he said, more than two litres of oil are used to produce the fertiliser, power the farm machinery, irrigate the fields, and create and distribute the pesticides needed for the crop.
Localising farms could be a solution to this problem. Stainsby argued that giving agricultural markets a local focus could reduce the problem of “food miles” — the distance food is transported prior to consumption.
He cited a Canadian study which found that the average food import in Canada travels 4,500 kilometres before it is consumed.
But Henry doesn’t believe that local farms can supply the quick fix in the current environment. He stressed the importance of bolstering local farm infrastructure before any solution can move forward.
In order for this to happen, Henry said that drastic changes to consumers’ spending habits are required. Stainsby agrees.
“The biggest problem that global food efforts face is that we’ve become used to paying so little for food,” said Stainsby.
“There’s a notion floating around that if we buy local, we can reduce the environmental impact of [global warming],” Henry said. “But some changes are going to have to take place before local food can be a viable response.”
Henry said that his farm would be hard-pressed to supply everyone in the room with locally produced meat in addition to his existing customers.
According to Henry, there just isn’t enough local food in B.C. to go around, and that needs to change.
“Farm numbers continue to decline in Canada and around Victoria. Farmers still can’t find a way to make a living,” said Henry.
“Consumers need to adjust their buying habits to support local food,” said Henry.
Richard Hebda, a UVic biology professor specialising in climate change, also sat on the panel. Hebda used maps to predict drastic changes to B.C.’s agricultural landscape and the danger to its food supply as the climate warms.
But Hebda was optimistic that society can benefit through adaptation and an understanding of the challenges facing both farmers and city-dwellers. Secure, quality food production requires keeping agricultural land as well as diversifying food products and practices, Hebda said.
Stainsby also emphasised that farm size is also an important factor in reducing environmental consequences of production. While larger farms employ fewer people per acre, he said, “smaller farms produce far more food per acre . . . whether you measure that in tons, calories, or dollars, [small farms] always win.”
Canadian University Press