As Canada's trade conflict with the United States escalates, governments are encouraging Canadians to buy local to support the country's economic, social and environmental stability and independence.
Authors
- Rosie Kerr
Research Associate, Sustainable Food Systems Lab, Lakehead University
- Charles Z. Levkoe
Canada Research Chair in Equitable and Sustainable Food Systems, Lakehead University
- Leigh Potvin
Assistant Professor of Community Studies, Lakehead University
But while enthusiasm in purchasing locally made food is growing, actually identifying Canadian products in grocery stores is often confusing. Decades of free trade have deeply integrated Canada's food supply chains with the U.S., making it difficult to determine what is actually local .
Even for Canadian-owned companies, most food products are enmeshed in global supply chains and often contain a mix of Canadian and foreign ingredients.
Canada's beef industry is a striking example of this. Two multinational corporations - American-owned Cargill and Brazilian-owned JBS - process more than 95 per cent of beef produced in Canada . This means that even if some of the food consumers purchase is labelled as Canadian-owned, the economic benefit may be flowing outside the country
As food systems researchers and practitioners who have explored ways for Canadians to feed themselves in equitable and sustainable ways, it has become clear that local food systems lack the infrastructure and supply to meet increasing demand.
What's holding local food systems back?
In collaboration with Sustain, an Ontario-wide network that promotes healthy, just and sustainable food and farming, we conducted a study to understand the policy priorities of organizations and businesses working to build local food economies in regions across the province.
Ontario already has a vibrant network of farmers, organizations and food entrepreneurs ready to meet local food demand. However, systemic challenges continue to hinder their ability to scale up production and distribution.
To better understand how to support Ontario's food system, we surveyed over 90 organizations working in different food-related sectors.
Through this research, we developed a series of policy reports focused on supporting aspiring farmers, protecting land for food production and strengthening local food systems.
Our findings show that regulatory changes to support small- and medium-sized enterprises and key investments could remove barriers and allow local food economies to flourish.
Smaller farms struggling to survive
Our study identified several barriers holding back Ontario's local food economy. The first set of barriers are on the supply side. A strong local food system depends on a strong network of farmers. However, many small- and medium-sized farms that supply local markets face disproportionate barriers that threaten their survival.
Many current government policies favour large-scale food production , making it difficult for smaller farmers to flourish.
Compounding the issue is Canada's looming farm succession crisis . More than 40 per cent of farmers in Canada are expected to retire by 2033, yet many aspiring farmers cannot afford to purchase farms or access start-up capital. When farmers can't afford land, it's often sold for non-agriculture uses.
To tackle these barriers, our study calls for provincially supported low-interest loan programs to finance down-payments, construction and equipment. Strengthening policies to protect farmland from urban sprawl, among other strategies, is also essential, as is expanding access to public land for local, ecological food production.
Processing, distribution bottlenecks
The second set of barriers we identified affect the farm-to-plate process. Small- and medium- sized farmers need better access to retail opportunities to sell fresh produce, along with the infrastructure to process raw foods into products like flour, packaged meats, jams, sauces and pickles.
This is especially evident in Ontario's meat-processing sector, where a shortage of local abattoirs has led to long wait times.
To address these issues, our study recommends increased investment in regional food hubs. Food hubs are shared-use facilities that manage the aggregation, processing and distribution of food products from local and regional producers, giving them better access to markets.
These hubs are essential to meeting the growing demand coming for sustainable, local food from businesses, public institutions and school food programs. But they are only part of the picture.
We also identified funding opportunities that could bolster local food economies. These include expanding Ontario's Fair Finance Fund to provide more financing options for regional food enterprises and supporting new abattoirs through the expansion of the Meat Processors Capacity Improvement Initiative .
A co-ordinated strategy is needed
Ontario manufacturers, retailers and farmers have all shown a willingness to expand local food production, but they need better support from policymakers to make it viable. There must be policies in place to support local food production and processing, remove key barriers and prioritize much-needed investments.
Across Canada, other provinces and territories face similar challenges in building strong local food networks. Most of the recommendations we heard are similarly outlined across different regions.
With consumer interest in local food on the rise, this is a critical moment for governments at all levels to improve avenues for new farmers, invest in processing and storage facilities and build local distribution networks - all essential to building a robust local food system.
Moe Garahan, a board member of Sustain Ontario, co-authored this article.
Rosie Kerr receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Charles Z. Levkoe receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Government of Ontario.
Leigh Potvin receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Ontario Council for Articulation and Transfer, the Government of Nova Scotia, and the University of the Arctic.
