How will we feed ourselves?

As oil prices continue to rise, we will be threatened by increasing prices for food. We are already seeing the effects of global forces causing the prices of staples such as wheat and corn to rise drastically.

Powell River and the entire Upper Sunshine Coast from Saltery Bay to Lund used to be much more self-reliant in food production than we are now. After WWII, with the advent of inexpensive refrigerated transport, increasing consolidation and efficiencies of scale in the production, processing, and transportation of food, it became possible for an isolated region like ours to satisfy its food needs from imported food.

That era is coming to an end, whether we like it or not. How do we intend to deal with that?

One thing is clear: we need to build a strong and connected community of people concerned with our regional capacity to provide for our own food needs. This means that everyone from plain folks to farmers, including our political and business leaders, needs to be thinking about how we can increase the amount of food being produced in our region.

Currently the Powell River Food Security Project organizes the monthly meetings of the Kale Force, which is a loose and friendly association of folks from the community working on solutions for feeding ourselves: backyard gardening, community gardens, the community demonstration garden, cooperative land purchase, farmers' markets, and more. For more info, check out the Kale Force website.