I had the pleasure of facilitating a community gathering of more than 70 people on Saturday, November 29th, to discuss the creation of a local food strategy for the Nanaimo area.
Below is a summary of the press release from the host organization, FoodLink.
Dr Ellen White, Snuneymuxw elder, in her opening prayer ceremony, reminded us to think ahead to the next seven generations: all our actions should be for those who will inherit the Earth. It was the presence of the First Nations that guided
many of the quality conversations.
At the end of the day, community members agreed that "food sovereignty"
would be a better term than "food security" because it encompassed the
interconnectedness of food issues with community independence.
Although there was much talk about the limits to local sustainability due
to restrictive government policy, open communication with representatives
from local government indicated a need for greater collaboration to
achieve similar goals. A morning plenary session included Chris Midgley
(RDN), Deborah Jensen (City of Nanaimo), Jean Crowder (MP), and Dr. Ellen
White (Elder of Snuneymuxw Nation). Dr. White spoke of water as sacred,
food as sacred, of relationships across generations, carefully chosen
words, and protecting the food, protecting the children.
Sandra Christensen, Chair of Food Link, was hopeful that the forum
provided an opportunity for deeper dialogue and created needed links
between government staff and local community organizations, although she
also recognized that there were large gaps that needed to be filled.
"Including more farmers, First Nations' representatives, and the broader
community is essential to creating an effective local food strategy." In
terms of urban agriculture, an opportunity exists to collaborate between
the City and community-based food organizations if programs can be
developed at the neighbourhood level. It will be up to us to approach the
City Council and ask for what we want: urban hens, access to public land
for growing, and more resources to strengthen neighbourhood communities.
Let's grow Nanaimo!
To get more involved or for more information contact FoodLink Nanaimo:
info@foodlinknanaimo.com or visit their website at: www.foodlinknanaimo.com
In the photo (l-r) Chris Midgley Deborah Jensen, Jean Crowder, Ellen White, Jen Cody (Foodlink), Kim (Kxx) Citton
