Wednesday March 29, 2023 | SOOKE, BC [Updated 12:50 pm]
by Mary P Brooke, B.Sc. | Island Social Trends
Last weekend Island Social Trends presented an information booth about Vancouver Island food security and sustainability, at the Sooke Seedy Saturday event hosted by Sooke Food CHI.
There was a lot of good discussion at our table about current food supply sustainability and grocery pricing concerns, and where things might go from here. Availability of good food was a common concern, with mention of nutrition levels. People who can manage to do so are growing their own food — whether a little or a lot.
Information on display boards and handouts included what various levels of government are doing (e.g. federal on grocery prices, provincial on new $200 million boost to food producing/distribution sector), grocery price increases over the past year (Consumer Price Index), and how part of the solution is for people to grow some of their own food.
Federal, provincial & regional:
We provided information on what various levels of government are doing on various aspects of food sustainability, including:
- Alistair MacGregor, MP (Cowichan-Malahat-Langford) is working on a national soil health bill and is the NDP Food Price Inflation Critic.
- BC Agriculture and Food Ministry recently received $200 million surplus funding, announced by Premier David Eby along with Agriculture and Food Minister Pam Alexis, as part of provincial goals toward improvements in local food production and distribution of foods to food banks.
- Capital Regional District (CRD) Food and Agriculture Strategy has been quietly ongoing since 2003 (updated in 2018) and has a target of increasing land in food production in the Greater Victoria area by 5,000 hectares by 2038.
Royal Roads University (RRU) is also a proponent of addressing food insecurity in BC. “I’m hopeful that BC will be able to develop and maintain sustainable, equitable food sources for generations to come,” says RRU President Philip Steenkamp this week.
Information handouts:
Printed versions of these articles were available at the Island Social Trends booth on March 25:
- Harsh economic realities at the mercy of political leadership (Mar 23, 2023)
- Food prices remain high, consumers hear more about grocery sector (Mar 11, 2023)
- Premier Eby announces $200 million for BC food security initiatives (Mar 7, 2023)
- Three grocery CEOs to address federal agriculture committee (Feb 26, 2023)
- Growing your own food in inflationary times (July 3, 2022)
- Elxn44 ESS candidates: food sustainability on Vancouver Island (Sept 12, 2021)
Where people get their food security news:
As for where people get their food security news, our booth visitors showed that most of that came through online news portals and organizations. That was followed fairly equally by TV, radio, print newspaper, and government news/emails.
What people are saying:
People who submitted written comments at our table said this:
Top concerns about food sustainability:
- “So much is imported and that link is tenuous. There is so little emphasis on locally sourced food. ~ A.C., Sooke
- “Produce quality.” ~ B.R., Sooke
- “Grown locally. Invasive species.” ~ C.L., Sooke
- “Food waste from the grocery stores and the food system. Only one-third of food produced is eaten.” ~ E.S., Sooke
- “Quality.” ~ B.S., Sooke
- “Different approaches to agriculture (not a one-way road).” ~ K.B., Sooke
- “Get more people farming. Rent out your back yard. Grown food as a co-op.” ~ C.L., Sooke
- “Will there be enough?” ~ C.A., Sooke
- “Loss of agricultural lands, and lands that are good for growing. Wildlife corridors for bees.” ~ R., Sooke
- “Availability, sustainability, resources.” ~ S.H., Sooke
- “The economic fall of the restaurant industry.” ~ T.P., Sooke
- “Food / water security.” ~ S.H., Langford
How people are dealing with food price inflation: (# of people in household)
- Growing our own, prepping our own. (3)
- We hope our retirement plan lasts. (2)
- 75′ x 50′ homegrown garden. (4)
- By growing my own. I live on a permaculture farm. (9)
- No children, so okay. (2)
- Prices are too high. (1)
- Growing my own garden, encouraging others to do so. (4)
- Growing my own. (2)
- Growing as much food as we can. (4)
- Very carefully. (2)
- Poorly (1)
- Carefully. Ridiculous costs. (2)
- Raising prices at my cafe, and crossing my fingers. (3)
===== RELATED:
- Sooke community shows up for food sustainability (Mar 28, 2023)
- Food Security Booth by Island Social Trends (Mar 23, 2023)
- Harsh economic realities at the mercy of political leadership (Mar 23, 2023)
- Food prices remain high, consumers hear more about grocery sector (Mar 11, 2023)
- Premier Eby announces $200 million for BC food security initiatives (Mar 7, 2023)
- Three grocery CEOs to address federal agriculture committee (Feb 26, 2023)
- Eby preludes Budget 2023 in 100-day speech (Feb 25, 2023)
- Food inflation riding high at 11.4% (Feb 21, 2023)
- Grocery chain CEOs being summoned to address Agriculture-AgriFood Committee (Feb 14, 2023)
- Sooke Seedy Saturday back in action (Feb 13, 2023)
- BC food security direction includes watchful eye on California (Feb 6, 2023)
- Farm workers 2023 minimum wage increase underscores food security (Dec 30, 2022)
- Steps forward in assessing food security – BC Agriculture Day (Oct 25, 2022)
- Food security: thoughts on on Thanksgiving weekend 2022 (Oct 10, 2022)
- Growing your own food in inflationary times (July 3, 2022)
- Elxn44 ESS candidates: food sustainability on Vancouver Island (Sept 12, 2021)
==== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends is a long-standing publication in the west shore of South Vancouver Island (fourth in a series that began with MapleLine Magazine 2008-2010, Sooke Voice News 2011-2013, and West Shore Voice News 2014-2020, which then emerged as Island Social Trends in mid-2020).
Island Social Trends editor is Mary P Brooke, B.Sc., Cert PR. She is a long-time journalist, delivering news through a socioeconomic lens.
Island Social Trends continues to build the Island Social Trends Food Security Archive with articles about current developments around food sustainability in BC.
IslandSocialTrends.ca covers news of the Greater Victoria area and south Vancouver Island, with insights on BC and national issues.
Ms Brooke has consistently covered progressive politics on Vancouver Island including a focus on food security for the South Vancouver Island region. She has presented detailed coverage of the SD62 School Board and its committees since 2014.