Food Security as an Issue

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

My vision for Cumberland County includes leading Nova Scotia in creating a safe and sustainable food supply. 

One of the first things I learned while studying nursing was Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Our most basic human needs to survive include air, water, and food. We have an abundance of air and water but have a food supply problem!

Globalization and free trade have opened our borders to cheap food. The Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture in 2010 reported that only 13 per cent of the money spent on food in our province is going to Nova Scotia farmers and producers.  We are importing 87 per cent of our food from outside of Atlantic Canada. 

I believe this is dangerous. We’re relying on other countries for our food supply. We have therefore put ourselves at risk. If there was a problem with imports or if our transportation system was interrupted, we would not have access to enough food. 

Creating a safe and sustainable food supply is also a key to rejuvenating our economy. Back in 2010, it was reported we were spending over 2.6 billion dollars on food each year. With the costs of food increasing, we are likely over 3 billion in 2017. 

This means well over 2 billion dollars of Nova Scotian’s money is leaving the province for food imports. 

If we set a goal of producing 50 per cent of our food for consumption it would pump an extra 1 billion dollars into our economy.  It’s estimated this would generate 16,285 jobs.  This is money that stays in our communities and circulates in our own economy, supporting other businesses to grow. 

Cumberland County has 30 per cent of the arable land in Nova Scotia. We have the marshland and grassland to produce grass fed beef. We have the Northumberland Strait and the Bay of Fundy to increase our fisheries. We have geothermal in Springhill to produce heat energy for an abundant greenhouse industry. These are just a few examples of our potential growth areas. 

It is time we look closely at the rules and regulations.  There are known barriers such as procurement practices that don’t support local food. There are also barriers related to federal and provincial meat inspection. These are only two of the many obstacles that are standing in the way of Cumberland County taking a leadership role in creating a safe and sustainable food supply for Nova Scotians.

This is a serious issue. We need strong leadership. It’s just common sense that we must be able to feed ourselves. 

Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin