The British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food website contains some very relevant resources that define the vision of the Agriculture and Food economy moving forward and has several well-defined programs to enhance and build upon this important sector that currently contributes more than $16 billion to our economy.
“The Ministry of Agriculture and Food is responsible for the production, marketing, processing and merchandising of agriculture and seafood products, as well as supporting our province’s food security, and developing a resilient food system and economy.”
Within the Ministry service plan are familiar programs such as “Buy B.C.” which is a simple enough concept. I think that most of us recognize the important correlation between buying local product and supporting our growers.
Beyond Buy B.C. are lesser known programs that are worthy of our attention. For the most part we typically take the food system for granted.
Within the ministry’s mandate are programs designed to enhance innovation in food and beverage processing. In addition, Agri-tech innovation, climate change mitigation and strengthening B.C.’s food security and provincial food systems are all worthy and important goals.
The Ministry also has partnerships with 20 post secondary institutions across B.C. where degree programs such as Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Sustainable Agriculture are supported and where the students work local farming operations and supply campuses with fresh produce. This element of “Feed B.C.” also ensures that local and regional institutions such as hospitals and care homes use local food in their commissaries.
Mapping out agriculture and food security goals is tricky business given the variety of obstacles that present themselves to farmers and the food economy in general.
Although there are several robust post secondary programs available in B.C. where students have opportunity to gain insight in how to participate in the food economy, there is no mention of education for K-12 students within the Ministry Service plan. It seems to me that if the post secondary programs are to gain strength, they need to garner interest amongst younger students at an earlier age.
Mike Schneider is founder of Project Pickle and likes to write about growing, cooking and eating food. He is a Jamie Oliver Food Revolution ambassador.
