Food Security

Food, glorious food...

Welcome to the Islands Trust Food Security webpage. Food security is a topic that is quickly gaining importance in our communities and around the world. As part of its mandate to “preserve and protect the Trust Area” Trust Council has made food security a priority in its 2008-11 Strategic Plan. To find out more about food security visit our What is Food Security page.

During 2010, staff and trustees are exploring food security issues and initiatives with local communities. We are developing practical and broad-reaching food security policy options for Local Trust Committees to consider for inclusion in their Official Community Plans and Land Use Bylaws. The results of this work will be presented at Trust Council’s meeting in Victoria in December 2010.

Islands Trust Area communities have excellent potential to become “food secure” due to strong farming traditions, excellent growing conditions and the already strong support for local foods produced throughout the Trust Area. However, there are also many challenges:

• Fewer people are choosing farming as a career. Land is expensive; operating costs are high, and there is a lack of affordable housing for farm workers.

• Island farmers need local support to keep their farms profitable but islanders currently buy almost all of their food from ‘off-island’ sources. This reliance on ‘off-island’ food also results in large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions from food transportation and makes island communities vulnerable to running out of food in the event of a disaster.

• Not all individuals and households on the islands have access to adequate, nutritious food. If the price of oil rises dramatically, transportation costs could make food even more unaffordable for many families.

• First Nations are seeing a decrease in the use of traditional foods and traditional food gathering methods. This is contributing to lowered food self-sufficiency and health problems such as diabetes.

Food security is about more than simply having enough to eat. It is also about supporting farmers, protecting the environment, reducing our carbon footprint and strengthening our local economies and communities. By improving our food security we build community resilience.

This food security section of the Islands Trust website will continue to evolve to meet your needs. We welcome your ideas for improvement and we rely on you to keep us informed of food security resources and initiatives in your community. If you are interested in learning more or sharing resources with us please contact .