By Mayme Lafurgey
“Who’s your farmer?” may come off as a strange question in our modern, fast-paced society and it is quite possibly one few can adequately answer. Many of us have little to no idea where our food comes from beyond the myriad of options we choose from at our local grocery store. We seldom ask ourselves, where and how has our food been grown and what family or company is behind production. We rarely entertain how far our food travelled to get the store and what products and chemicals aided in sustaining the long journey to the shelf.
In the United States, most produce takes four to seven days and travels on average 1,500 miles before reaching the retailer – and this is only considering U.S.-grown products. Not only does this give us insight into the amount of pesticides going into our food, but also the oil contributing to the environmental costs of our wasteful, polluting and energy-draining food system. Our destructive patterns of consumption are a grave detriment to our local farm families, who only make 18 cents of every dollar of the products we buy at the grocery store. Instead, we are benefiting big-business owners far and wide and through concentrating wealth and power into few pockets our natural resources, community markets and local farms are severely at risk. Buying local food is also a way to support businesses that reflect desired community values and to aid in protecting the local economy.
Through supporting local and organic farmers we are taking back our power as consumers and making an active stance in investing in local and transforming the food system, as we currently know it. By making “who is your farmer?” as mainstream as knowing your doctor, babysitter or hairstylist, we can see real change. As a society we can increase our access to quality nutritious food by making it available and affordable to the masses, as well as through paying farmers the real cost of production without going through a big-business middleman. When farmers sell their crops directly to our local stores, schools and restaurants, none of the costs are absorbed by processors and distributors.
We need to act fast on this as the number of farms in Canada are on a long-term decline and have been since 1941, according to Stats Canada. Of those still in operation, it is a constant struggle to maintain the business and support their families and nationally 44.2 per cent of farms reported that their expenses exceed profit and many farmers are forced into working outside jobs. More farmers are working off the farm than five years ago. Nearly half of all farm operators reported an off-farm job or business on the 2006 Census. If farming isn’t profitable, who is going to choose do it in the next generation?
Having an active role in deciding where our food comes from we will secure a more sustainable future for our health, our local farm families and our land. As consumers we need to create the demand for nutritious, organic and local food. By supporting local organic farms we can preserve the quality of the soil and as organic produce is grown using methods that promote soil fertility and a healthy farm ecosystem. No herbicides, pesticides, fungicides or fertilizers are used during the farming or preparation process and the food travels right from the farm to your kitchen. This means your community and your family are healthier and the impact on the environment is minimal. Collectively, as consumers and community members, we have a powerful voice. “Who is your farmer?” is a great start in getting people thinking about what they eat and what they are supporting in the process!
Wondering where to start? ACORN has a searchable database of all farmer markets, CSA box programs and organic farmers in Atlantic Canada (www.acornorganic.org). PEI and Nova Scotia Departments of Agriculture also have some provincial listings of farmers available on their websites. Farmers markets are a great place to meet farmers face-to-face and find out where people are buying food that may be off the beaten track.
Mayme Lafurgey works for ACORN: the Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network
