Food Systems Literacy Series, April Edition - Food Security
At Elements Society, we know that food brings us together, connects us to the planet, and keeps cultures alive. When you realize just how central food is to everything, 'food security' becomes about so much more than just having enough to eat.
Teaching about Food Security can range from exploring the concepts of economic inequality and a living wage to the global factors that affect food availability such as war, trade, and climate change. When I read the Food Systems Literacy study’s list of ideas for “Food Security” education, I was inspired to see the long term and holistic perspectives from this research: “understanding that food systems practices need to be regenerative of natural, social and economic systems in order to ensure food needs are met for current and future generations.” In other words, our future food security depends on creating natural, social, and economic systems that are sustainable. This is so different from the current dominant methods of farming, labour practices–including migrant workers–and economic growth. It offers a window into a possible future where regenerative practices and learning from Indigenous Food Systems are the default instead of being seen as an unconventional innovation.
If we view Food Security just in terms of different income levels and what the costs of food are, we might focus on what needs to be done to support people to earn more income or access government assistance. Although those pathways are important, the broader view enables us to see intersections across issue areas, relating to different forms of injustice and to geopolitical, environmental, and economic issues. In the face of climate change, for example, we can talk about Food Security issues like: Inuit peoples’ food sources in Canada, how floods and droughts will impact food production, what economic shifts farmers can expect, and the global injustice of climate change impacts (to name just a few).
At this point, one might want to hit pause and say it’s all too complicated. It can start to feel like there are too many problems pulling at our attention. It’s possible to frame it another way, though, and ask ourselves what vision of the future takes care of all these things and what can we do now to work on multiple problems in complementary ways?
What vision of the future takes care of all these things and what can we do now to work on multiple problems in complementary ways?
Regenerative agriculture could be a big piece of this puzzle, with its emphasis on social and ecological sustainability. It has potential to make farming more resilient to climate imbalances, while also reducing the Greenhouse Gas emissions from farms. A just transition to regenerative agriculture will be important, which means “empowering other ways of knowing and doing” and listening to those who are currently marginalized in agriculture: Indigenous, Black and racialized communities, “migrant workers, and the land itself” (Ivey).
Examples of more co-benefits in regenerative agriculture:
greater pollinator biodiversity helping to pollinate and naturally reducing pests, meaning less need for pesticides
diverse perennial plant communities helping sequester carbon in the soil and making the environment more resilient to floods, droughts, etc.
perennial planting reducing soil erosion
diverse plants also provide more local food options, in case one of the crops doesn’t do well
more skilled workers gain jobs to help with land management and processing the different plants for market
Our EcoCooks programs teach fundamental concepts about food system impacts on nature, like how much land different foods need to grow. We also want to teach kids that the future of growing food could be healthy for the Earth, so we reflect on ecosystem services on farms like introducing pollinator plants and riparian buffers! These are the kinds of ecosystem services that are built into regenerative agriculture.
Even though we need to broaden our lens beyond income and food-cost to tackle food insecurity, we still need temporary solutions like food banks to act as a bandaid for social inequality. Since sustainability also plays a role in food security, we can also look at big picture farming solutions that mitigate climate change and take better care of ecosystems. Regenerative practices could potentially help shield consumers from economic shocks that drive up food prices due to global corporations’ interests and supply chain problems. There is current research at the University of Western Ontario into how enterprise and financing can support a shift to this kind of farming. Check out their work at: https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/sustainability/transforming-agri-food/
One simple step we can take today is to work on school and community gardens that bring more access to healthy foods into our lives while helping us learn about the natural world and how we can be better stewards of the land and water where we live. Networks like Farm to School BC are vital to supporting schools with garden projects and other land-based learning. https://farmtoschoolbc.ca/
They are also connecting the dots between school-based gardens, stewardship, and local Indigenous knowledge! Check out their awesome Learning from the Land toolkit here: https://farmtoschoolbc.ca/learning-from-the-land-toolkit/
Once again, stay tuned for the next topic! Hint: Sustainability is our jam!