An exciting and impressive group of community members attended the first Comox Valley Food Round Table meeting on March 22. Representation ranged across age groups and included non-profits, private businesses, community volunteers, Young Agrarians and local government. While attendees expressed concern about the state of our local food system, in terms of the need for greater support, community awareness and integration of diverse efforts, the underlying theme was the outstanding potential of the Comox Valley to become a regional leader in building sustainable food systems.
The word most often spoken at the inaugural Round Table was “collaboration.” All participants brought a wealth of background knowledge, enthusiasm and experience to the table, along with a keen interest in working together to address the many issues discussed during the meeting.
Local food is relatively prominent in the Comox Valley, thanks to world class soil and growing conditions that make local bounty a regular appearance at Farmers’ Markets, independent restaurants, annual food festivals and artisanal events. However, less than 5% of the food consumed here comes from Vancouver Island and much work remains to integrate these outstanding efforts into a cohesive vision with broad public support.
Issues discussed at the Round Table included: how the region has been working on food security in isolated pockets and the need to combine efforts for a larger and lasting impact; the need to increase the awareness of the wider community to build pride and recognition around local food; and the need to support our local food economy in ways that foster fulfilling, lifelong careers. Many participants spoke about the need to make food a priority of all municipalities, and to encourage government to show leadership in integrating food security and the needs of young farmers into policies and bylaws.
At the closing of the Round Table, several sub-committees were formed to develop capacity and carry forward key themes. These committees include Education, Communication Strategy, and Community Food Assessment, which will work on community engagement and educational events that increase people’s food knowledge, skills and awareness. Among the first actions the Round Table will carry out is a Community Food Assessment, which will conduct research and review existing documents in order to create a baseline for future projects. The Community Food Assessment will serve as a foundation in forming a Food Council and developing a regional Food Strategy.
The Round Table has submitted several funding proposals for this work. One request went to the Real Estate Foundation’s Sustainable Food Systems stream to carry out the Community Food Assessment, and another was sent to the United Way to increase food educator resources for the Comox Valley.
In June, LUSH Valley Food Action Society will host a regional follow up to the 2012 Food Connections Conference. This event will allow community members to review and identify regional priorities from the Vancouver Island Food Strategy and the Vancouver Island Food Charter, which were developed at the 2012 conference. The Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) supports this initiative for its focus on community needs and priorities.
The next Comox Valley Food Round Table will be held on Mon. April 29 from 12:30–2pm at LUSH Valley Food Action Society, 1126 Piercy Ave, Courtenay.
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