"A Food Strategy for the Sooke/JDF Region" by Kate Kittredge

Late last spring a small band of interested local foods people from the Sooke Region gathered together under the auspices of the Community Health Initiative (CHI) and formed a group called Food CHI. Since then the group has grown substantially – there are 25-30 people (interested community members, food producers, consumers and decision makers) at our potluck meetings and over 100 people on the mailing list. Through generous funding from VIHA’s Community Food Action Initiative Food CHI has been able to get a jump-start to support numerous projects and planning activities over the past nine months. We meet monthly to discuss and plan effective ways to enhance food security in the region from East Sooke to Port Renfrew. Recently, Food CHI voted to become a non-profit society.

Food CHI’s Vision is:

All citizens of our region have access (opportunity, knowledge, and resources) to produce, acquire, eat, enjoy and celebrate nutritious local food.

A vibrant, sustainable food culture and cuisine rooted in viable local production, historical and First Nations knowledge and environmental stewardship.

Citizen needs and desires for local, affordable, healthy food and cuisine inform food and agricultural policy, legislation and regulations at all levels of government.

Food CHI meets monthly for delicious local food based potlucks. During these potlucks we discuss our concerns, plan events and brainstorm ideas on activities that support our Vision. We also visit local farms, community gardens, and attend and host workshops & educational events. Our group has many talented individuals who represent a vast array of skills and experiences so it’s a very diverse group with much to offer.

The group has identified many challenges in the area of food security for Sooke and Juan de Fuca Region. Did you know that:

• We produce between 5 -10% of the food we consume on Vancouver Island.
• The remaining 90-95% travels an average of 2,000 km to get here.
• The average age of farmers is 58!
• Currently, the Island has only a 3 day supply of fresh food in our food stores.

Globalized food production and distribution relies heavily on petrochemicals at all levels. Petrochemicals are rising in cost and reducing in supply.

The Sooke Region is rapidly growing in population. With this growth challenges around traditional farming, fishing and wild harvesting are more noticeable and are also increasing.

There is currently a major gap between people and their food system. Since this disconnect has become so normalized in today’s fast food culture, it is a challenge to help people see the alternatives.

What can YOU do?

The good news is that there are many proactive steps that can be taken at a local level by both citizens and governments:

• BUY LOCAL! Let’s establish and support ‘Buy Local’ incentives.
• More Farmers & Producers! We need to attract more young people into farming and we need to work hard to support those farmers that we already have so farming can become an economically feasible livelihood.
• Education and Awareness: Let’s get the word out to the citizens of the Sooke Region and beyond. It’s tough to make change if we don’t understand the challenges we’re facing and why they are important.
• Reconnect people to their food system. This is a first step to enhancing the understanding of these issues. One way to reconnect people to their food system is to encourage relationship building between food producers and consumers.
• Deregulation: Advocate for the disbanding of those regulations that are immobilizing the producers we do have.
• Vote! Let’s put our vote behind those farmer-friendly political leaders.

Other steps:

• Establishing collectives - leasing and working existing underused farmland
• Forming of a Farm Trust to purchase and protect farm land
• The creation of new allotments
• Improving markets and distribution networks
• Assistance (knowledge, expertise and labor) for people who have the space and want to start gardening on their own property.

Part of our mandate is to gather information on what food security resources currently exist in the region. To this end, we are conducting focus groups with special interest groups to identify their concerns. At the end of this process, we anticipate the revealing of common themes or gaps across groups. Combined with our other research we will then be able to develop a Community Food Action Plan with concrete solutions to address the concerns and help to fill in the gaps.

In addition, there is a new project underway involving Sooke Region schools. Last fall a school garden committee was formed to encourage and support any local schools that want to develop a gardening program, in whatever form that may take. Since then, many of the schools in the region have committed to participating in this school garden initiative. Some are farther along, such as Edward Milne Community School, and some are just getting off the ground.

Who can join Food CHI? Anyone who is interested. Participation is welcome from all ages and backgrounds, particularly those involved in the fisheries and other traditional methods of harvesting and collecting food. Food CHI would love to learn more from the local First Nations communities, T’Sou-ke, Pacheedaht and Beecher Bay, who have such rich traditions around these traditional food practices. Come feast with us and share your ideas!

For more information, contact Kate Kittredge.
And join our email list and/or Facebook group.