Food Processing, Distribution, Waste Management & the Food Economy

In BC, neighbourhood markets generate almost $4 million in annual vendor sales! Vancouver Farmers' Markets are visited by over 250,000 people each year. Trout Lake Farmers' Market, established in 1995, is one of five farmers' markets in Vancouver.

The food economy is lucrative but until recently, concentrated in the hands of a small number of multinationals. That might be a very optimistic statement. It remains concentrated but more people are asking how they might subvert the mainstream food economy - one way being to access their food directly from farmers. A just and sustainable food system for Vancouver can only be built from thousands, maybe millions of acts of actionism like these.

A food hub is envisioned for Vancouver. this one (http://food-hub.org/) is in Portland but it gives an idea of what a food hub is. An article about the one in Vancouver here: (http://www.granvilleonline.ca/gr/blogs/editors/2010/05/28/three-vancouver-food-security-programs-improve-access-local-food). It is hoped that the hub can be sited where a food market once stood, paying homage to our history. In a mini-visioning exercise in class, we proposed ensuring that the remembered history of place include that of the First Nations communities who once lived on the land.

One challenge we faced in our visioning exercise for the hub (and faced by the agencies/organizations highlighted in our readings) is how to achieve some efficiency of scale without mirroring the organizations/businesses we are attempting to replace/complement. Regular meetings to discuss growth and change ethics was proposed. But it is a question faced, at some point, by everyone who seeks to transform an unjust or inequitable system. How do we guard against becoming that which we have fought against?

Food System Planning, Social Inclusion and Participatory Governance

So, where is everyone?

Food systems planning, in Vancouver, has evolved to involve groups of incredibly committed citizens. What is curious and needs examining is that the cultural diversity of Vancouver is absent from the ranks of those involved in food systems planning.

So, where is everyone? Are they not interested?

Food is integral to all cultures. Everyone eats - for pleasure or for sustenance. And almost all cultures, all over the world, grow or raise what they need to eat. And yet, the various cultural communities (including First Nations communities) in Vancouver are not actively engaged with food systems planning.

The case studies/papers assigned for this component of the course included examples from Brazil and Argentina. And one of the speakers who spoke about urban agriculture provided examples from Columbia. Each of these examples has lessons for us and yet I wonder if we might uncover additional stories and examples about sustainable practices/models when we find ways to actively engage with all the residents of Vancouver. It is worth considering that we don't need to visit faraway lands to observe unique examples of food systems planning. There are many residents from those lands creating lives in Vancouver, using the knowledge and experience from their previous country. Imagine if we could integrate their stories and knowledge into our food systems planning. Or imagine transforming food systems planning - not just tweaking it or stretching it to accommodate different world views but transforming it so that we have a new paradigm from which to operate.

Powerful questions are a tool for social change. So, my powerful question for this component of the course is: What would our food system be like if residents from all cultures participated in the planning and implementation of it?

Food Production in the City - Urban Agriculture and Beyond

Everyone (well, 89% at least), in Vancouver, has heard of or seen a community garden. But I wonder how many have taken time to wander through, ask questions or wonder how they come to be. This component of the course was to look at community gardens, other forms of urban agriculture (although it can be argued that community gardens are less about agriculture and more about community building) and an exploration of what might be possible in the future.


Collingwood Neighbourhood House (http://www.cnh.bc.ca/ca/) is an oasis of community, innovation and a velvet revolution. What else to call a place that is quietly changing the sense of neighbourhood and place?

We met the Coordinator of the local Food Security Institute and she showed us the rooftop garden shared by all the users of the neighbourhood house, the community garden, on Translink owned land, under the Skytrain and the site of a planned orchard in the neighbourhood.

The site of the new orchard is in an area of single-family homes and there are strong concerns by neighbours - they have questions about who will be involved, how to minimize loitering/trespassing/crime and seem unsure about any increased value to their sense of community. The dialogue seems to be ongoing and the experience and spirit of the neighbourhood house bode well for the process of coming to understanding. Hopefully, some analysis can be done of the beginning part of this project, to understand how/if some of the concerns/dissent could have been allayed.


Community gardens have allowed folks without backyards or sunny balconies to grow their heart's desire. As well, they have allowed neighbours to meet neighbours and break down some of the barriers inherent in urban living. The gardens also function as a crime prevention design - more people are using the land, more neighbours are valuing the land, and less crime or harm comes to that part of the neighbourhood. Most importantly, they reconnect people to food (or flowers) - from seedling to meal (or seed).





Another use of available land is practiced by urban farmers like City Farm Boy (http://cityfarmboy.com/). Another one of our field trips was to a rooftop garden on a new(er) building downtown. The garden plots were an amenity, to be sold to owners in the building (like a parking spot but greener:) but this plan went awry after most of the building was purchased for rental. City Farm Boy has arranged, with the developer/strata, to grow vegetables and herbs in the garden. He makes a living (just) and the developer/strata gain the added value of a beautiful space that may, over time, entice owners/tenants to purchase a plot.

What would happen if we farmed all of our rooftops? There are many flat roofs in Vancouver (and maybe in other temperate cities). Imagine all of that square footage under cultivation. Not as a hobby, but actually under intensive cultivation by an experienced farmer. What would happen if we could purchase a share of the bounty (a popular way for farmers to raise $ early in the season) and know where our produce/herbs were being grown?



I know I don't know exactly where my vegetables and fruit come from and certainly not who grew it. Do you? And if we did, would we value our food more?

Community gardens have been a good introduction for the public about urban agriculture. But if we want to work towards a sustainable food system, growing more of our own food will need to be seriously explored and attempted.

What is Food Systems Policy & Planning?

Food systems planning is a relatively new area of interest. One of the first journal articles about this area of planning was one of our readings: Pothukuchi, K. & Kaufman, J. (2000) The food system: A stranger to the planning field. Journal of the American Planning Association 66 (2), pp. 112-24. This article describes how food systems planning is mostly absent from planning practice, research and education.

Food systems planning is a cross-cutting area of interest. In order to look at food systems, a planner needs to involve others from a variety of government departments/agencies. By not 'belonging' to anyone and yet needing to be considered by everyone, food systems planning could fall between the cracks. Within most mainstream planning agencies, areas of focus, especially those previously ignored/overlooked or emerging need advocates - individuals or groups who ensure that the topic is 'alive' for those planning and making decisions. Previous examples, in Vancouver, are the Children's Advocate or the Child and Youth Advocate - positions that reported to Council and had a mandate to ask powerful questions of decision makers and ensure that children and/or youth did not fall off anyone's agenda. Food systems planning needs more advocates - not just in North America but around the world. In Vancouver, we seem to have progressed over the last decade.

A Food Charter was adopted by Council in 2007:

http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/socialplanning/initiatives/foodpolicy/policy/charter.htm

A Food Policy Council is an advisory group of engaged citizens that reports to Council:

http://www.vancouverfoodpolicycouncil.ca/

They work towards the development of a just and sustainable food system for the City.

One of the co-chairs of the Food Policy Council (FPC) came to class. His passion for food systems planning reverberated in the energy he brought to our room. Everything he said - about his work on the FPC and the work he did for money - seemed to be integrated into his life - he was living the values he was promoting. Individuals like him are inspirational by just being.

Just like our guest speaker's values were integrated into his life, food systems planning needs to be integrated into all planning, by individuals, communities and governments. I was reading an article about the 'fatigue' folks are feeling about having to think about the food they buying and eating. One consumer was complaining about how 'political correctness' was overpowering the information about food. Another about feeling guilty for eating what she chose to eat. The article seemed to be about how we were being asked to think too much about food. Some of those commenting on the story noted that we think a great deal (not to mention watch/read/discuss) about which phone/computer/appliance/vehicle to purchase and yet, until recently, we have been 'excused' from thinking about food. So it isn't that we are being made to think too much about our food, it is that we are once again making food central to existence. I'm sure Mr/Ms Early Human gave food a great deal of thought. Considering the impact of what we have been eating two to three times a day, some moments of thought might be in order.

PLAN 548Z - The Adventure Begins

Have you ever waited and waited to do something and faced challenge after delay?

I've been wanting, planning, plotting to take PLAN 548Z since the spring of 2008. PLAN 548Z, for those non-SCARPies, is a course named "Food Systems Policy & Planning", taught ONLY IN THE SUMMER TERM by Wendy Mendes, Food Policy Planner extraordinaire and part-time professor. The summer of 2008 had me in the Philippines (posts below) for a different wonderful course but the timing of THAT course meant that it was impossible to be part of the 'food course'. And summer 2009 was my summer of transition (no posts, it was that transitory) and I was in Toronto and that meant no 'food course'. So this year I jumped at the chance to register! There are wonderful advantages to being a Super SCARPie (more than 2 years in the program)!

The course is divided into four components - What is Food Policy Planning; Food Production in the City - Urban Agriculture and Beyond; Food Systems Planning - Social Inclusion and Participatory Governance and Food Processing, Distribution, Waste Management and the Local Food Economy. There are three assignments - one of which is to journal or blog about the readings. I'm going to blog here (all the better to share with the two folks who read this site:) and organize it by component and hopefully share some of the three week adventure!