A Province Hungry for Change: Food Security on PEI--- 2014, The International Year of Family Farming

Hungry for Change

Undoubtedly there are a great many thoughtful people living in our little province who are hungry for change. They are labouring towards an elevation of understanding of how the choices we make daily  affect our lives and the lives of those around us.

 Living in a small place it is easy for us to be dismissive of those who speak out regarding long held ways of doing things but it might be wise to consider that there is not something always inherently wrong with change. Something very good just may come of it.

 Just recently I was involved in some projects my eight year old daughter undertook for social studies, and science. We discussed some basic concepts regarding the needs of living things. Clean air, clean water, both drinkable and life supporting as well as healthy, living soil in which to grow our food were some of the things we discussed. Basic needs for living things, but are these basic life support systems being respected for the wondrous and diverse life giving qualities they contain? I love this little province we call home, and wish only wellness for it but am confused at times by the ways we allow destructive practices to impact the well being of the land, waters and air. 

We know that continuous application of  agri-chemicals contaminate our air, soil and waterways. We know that there are still many unknowns when it comes to the use of cosmetic pesticides and human health, yet we as an Island community have not yet come around full-scale to the notion that we need to change how we think about and care for these basic life support systems for the health and well being of all. 

I am  very encouraged by the rising tide of young farmers with an interest in practicing more sustainable, organic methods of farming. A friend of my sisters just recently purchased a 98 foot greenhouse to add to her organic farm and, as she said in a note she wrote me last fall, it was thanks in no small part to the people who supported her weekly veggie delivery over the past several years. This is exciting news to me! Each time we make a choice towards better informing ourselves and our families about the real sources of our food, each time we pause mindfully and consider how we prepare and consume the foods in our pantries and our refrigerators, we give those basic support systems (air, soil, and water) the respect they deserve and improve our connection to the land and the sea we live and work and play on.

How we choose to grow our food, how we care for ourselves and our homes, how we purchase goods and services all impact the air we breathe, as well as the health of the land and the waters of this finite piece of land we've put our roots down into. We all need to take responsibility for the choices we make.

Feeding seven billion people on a warming planet is a concern leading scientists are considering. The troubling fact that more than one in four children living in PEI are food insecure means that how to healthfully, and economically feed ourselves and our families is a growing concern of many Islanders. Understanding that there is a connection between both concerns and that there are  common solutions beyond large scale conventional agriculture is something everyone should be thinking and talking about. Reconsidering how we purchase, and consume food requires of us a willingness to think about our connection to the natural environment and to every other living thing on this Island and the planet as a whole. 

"The United Nations, for its part, has designated 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming to raise the profile of these unsung agricultural workers and spotlight the roles they could play in the face of challenges like climate change, malnutrition, and poverty."   

Andrea Stone National Geographic May 2014 

Many Prince Edward Islanders are celebrating 2014 for the historic role it played in the formation of our country. Perhaps we would do well to consider 2014 as an opportunity to celebrate small scale agriculture in our home province. By getting to know and supporting local, small scale farmers whose aim is to nurture the land they farm, we are taking an important step towards improving food security and healthfulness for all.

Many of us do know that the time for change is at hand. All that we require is a community of understanding and personal commitment as well as the political will to make viable change a reality.

Sincerely,
Jill MacCormack