In Canada, it is apparent that growing numbers of consumers want to purchase and support food that has been harvested and produced locally.  A 2006 Ipsos-Reid poll found that 56% of Canadians “always” or “usually” check where their fruits and vegetables come from, and 42% buy local food regularly.(ref) A public opinion poll conducted by Environics for the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation showed that 72% of central Ontario consumers are willing to pay more for local fruits and vegetables and 70% are willing to pay more for locally raised meat.  A whopping 93% of Calgarians say farmers markets are important for the community,(ref) while the number of farmers markets in Ontario has increased from 60 in 1991 to 132 in 2007.(ref) In fact, there are over 60 farmers markets in the Greater Toronto Area alone.(ref) Support for local food is also apparent from the success of books such as The 100-Mile Diet and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and the expansion of initiatives that support farmers markets, urban farming, and community-supported agriculture (CSA) across the country.

There are many dimensions to the benefits that local food systems can provide.  One relates to the social benefits of supporting local food, including connections between rural and urban communities, preserving near-urban prime agricultural land, a better understanding of the origins of food, and increased food security.  Rooftop gardens, community gardening, and urban gardening can also foster a closer connection to food and an appreciation for food’s freshness and seasonality.  Results from a 2006 Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs survey found that 9 in 10 respondents believed that local food is important because it supports the economy and Ontario farmers.(ref) A further 83% of survey respondents said that Ontario produce is fresher than food produced elsewhere. Canadian consumers have also expressed fondness for the vibrancy of farmers markets and an enjoyment of building direct relationships with farmers.(ref)  Canadian consumers are also concerned about the contribution of long-distance food travel to climate change and see a local diet as a means to cut carbon emissions. In light of periodic reports of contaminated imported food, as well as Canada’s relatively strong food safety and environmental regulation and enforcement, local food may also be safer and may have had a less significant adverse impact on the environment than some imported products.  All of these areas of impact - social, economic, health, and environmental - are vital components of sustainable development.  

Rising food prices, rising demand for agricultural products, food shortages, and other challenges have led many around the globe to state that we are facing a global food crisis.  One part of the solution to this situation may be to develop sustainable local food systems around the world to provide local food security.  To ensure the resilience of Canada’s food system, policy makers will likely need to find an appropriate balance between local markets and markets dominated by international trade.

Despite growing demand, a number of significant barriers exist that hinder the development of local food systems in Canada. One barrier is access to market. Large retail establishments who supply the majority of food distributed to Canadian consumers have tended not to deal with smaller, local farmers because adequate volumes and quality control cannot be ensured. Furthermore, it is often cheaper for large retail outlets to import food from other jurisdictions where labour costs are cheaper and subsidies may be higher. A second barrier is international trade, as deals such as the Agreement on Agriculture in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) seek to liberalize trade flows and reduce import barriers. Other challenges include the traceability of food grown or produced in Canada (the “Product of Canada” designation requires that only 51% of the costs of producing goods – including processing and packaging – need to be incurred in Canada) and policies that have been put into place for reasons of consumer safety (such as restrictions in Ontario on on-farm slaughtering).  It is also concerning that demand for local food in Canada is increasing, yet agricultural land has decreased in this country by over 2% since 1990.(ref) Due to this situation, almost 70% of farmers surveyed in 2005 in the greater Golden Horseshoe area did not expect their children to work the farm in the future.(ref)

Basis in Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation

While an explicit promotion of local food systems does not exist in either Agenda 21 or the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, the strategy of building food security as a way to strengthen rural economies is consistent throughout both agreements. A recent study in Michigan found that doubling or tripling the amount of food sold at farmers markets would provide a considerable number of new jobs in the state.(ref) The development of local food systems should be considered one approach for promoting sustainable and resilient agricultural systems in Canada.

Additional Resources:

• Canada. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Local and Regional Food Economies in Canada: Status    Report, Mar. 2007.  http://www4.agr.gc.ca/resources/prod/doc/pol/pub/econ_can/pdf/econ_can_e.pdf
• Center for Rural Studies University of Vermont. Defining a Strategy for Local Foods in Vermont. 2006    http://crs.uvm.edu/vtrpoll/2006/localfoods06.pdf
• Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation http://www.ourgreenbelt.ca/our-greenbelt/taste/farmers-markets    -near-you.
• IPSOS-Reid. “Calgarians Strong Supporters of Farmers’ Market.” 23 Jul. 2008. http://www.ipsos -na.com/news/pressrelease.cfm?id=4013.
• IPSOS-Reid. “Canadians see many benefits of locally grown food.” 1 Dec. 2006    http://www.ipsosna.com/news/pressrelease.cfm?id=3298.
• Metcalf Foundation. Food Connects Us All: Sustainable Local Food in Southern Ontario. Feb. 2008.    http://www.metcalffoundation.com/downloads/Food%20Connects%20Us%20All.pdf.
• Michigan Land Use Institute. Eat Fresh and Grow Jobs Michigan. Sep. 2006    http://mlui.org/downloads/EatFresh.pdf.
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Environmental Performance of Agriculture in    OECD Countries since 1990: Canada Country Section. 2008.  http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/27/18/40753614.pdf.

• British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Lands. “The British Columbia Agriculture Plan: Growing a Healthy Future for B.C. Families” http://www.al.gov.bc.ca/Agriculture_Plan.
• Équiterre http://www.equiterre.org/en.
• Farm Folk/City Folk http://www.ffcf.bc.ca.
• FoodShare http://www.foodshare.net.
• Harvestin’ the County. http://www.harvestin.ca.
• Kingsolver, Barbara. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. New York: HarperCollins, 2007.
• Local Food Plus http://www.localfoodplus.ca.
• New Brunswick Agri-Food Market and Development Program http://www.gnb.ca/0027/0018-e.asp.
• Ontario Farmland Trust http://www.ontariofarmlandtrust.ca.
• Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food Affairs. “Ontario Market Investment Fund” http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/food/domestic/omif/omif.html.
• Pollan, Michael. In Defence of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. New York: Penguin Press. 2008.
• Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. New York: Penguin Press. 2006.
• Prince Edward Island. “Province announces buy PEI initiative.” 5 Jun. 2008    http://www.gov.pe.ca/news/getrelease.php3?number=5757.
• Smith, Alisa and J.B. MacKinnon. The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating.  Vintage Canada: Toronto. 2007. 

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