Why Buying Local is More Important Than Ever

The groaning sideboards of turkey, ham and vegetables, the produce-laden cornucopia, the pumpkins, gourds and cornstalks used for decoration that in some parts of the world would be considered valuable fodder, all speak to the wealth of the country and the land that supports us despite being snow-covered for so much of the year. How often, besides Thanksgiving, do Canadians actually think to thank a farmer?

How often does one think of how those ingredients got from farm to fork? Do you ask whether it’s local, sustainable, ethically produced or organic? Is it seasonal? Is it community-supported agriculture? Ralph Martin, Professor & Loblaw Chair in Sustainable Food Production, has a lifetime of insight into our relationships with food and farming and he asks those questions. He grew up in southwestern Ontario Mennonite country and has deeply-rooted memories of life on his grandfather’s farm.

“We take food for granted” Martin says. “Farmers feed cities, but we have a choice on which farmers. Eating seasonally makes local farmers more viable. Food is at its freshest and most nutritious harvested locally.”

As the newly appointed Loblaw Chair in Sustainable Food Production at the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph, Martin is tasked with developing and implementing a national program in sustainable food production in Canada. For the first time, producers, processors, retailers and consumers will be brought together to look at how food is produced and how it is understood by consumers.

There are nearly 60,000 farms in Ontario, producing more than 200 agricultural commodities. Each farmer produces enough food to feed 120 people every year. The agri-food industry contributes $33 billion to the provincial economy every year and provides jobs for 700,000 people.

Considering the economic impact of farming, Martin says consumers can have an influence by looking for food grown in Ontario. “Standards in other countries around food safety and health are less certain.”

Ontario is one of the largest and most competitive food clusters in North America, ranking as the third largest food processing jurisdiction with annual sales of more than $32.3 billion. Primary farming as an industry represented 1.7 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2009, and agriculture and the related agri-food system accounted for some $98 billion dollars of Canada’s total GDP, about 8.2 percent of the national economy. Canada is the fourth-largest food exporter in the world, with exports valued at $35.2 billion. In 2009, Canadian grain and grain products were exported to over 110 countries. One in eight (two million) Canadian jobs are in agriculture and food processing and 70 percent of those jobs are in Ontario and Quebec. Impressive.

Bette Jean Crews is wrapping up her term as the president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, a voluntary association representing some 38,000 farmers across the province. With her husband and children, she farms 400 acres in Prince Edward County.

“My city cousins think that I can make a living growing a couple of rows of sweet corn, some tomatoes and strawberries and selling them at the side of the road,” she says. She is a big supporter of local growers, and indeed, has a seasonal farmstand, but points out that those Foodland Ontario labels are not given easily or automatically, with products required to meet stringent government requirements.

“Agriculture touches everything in your daily life, from hops in beer to new generation bio-products turning soy beans into car door panels,” she says.

“Jobs in rural communities are dependent on farmers – they are an integral part of support for the schools, hospitals and post offices. Without farmers, little towns would become ghost towns.”

The most expensive farmland in the province is found in the Holland Marsh/Bradford area, where prices can climb as high as $20,000 per acre. Land is cheapest in New Liskeard, where the price per acre of farmland can run from $1,300 to $2,500, according to RE/MAX in their latest analysis of farm prices.

Since 1945, the average farm size in Ontario has been growing. In 1986, it was 78 hectares (193 acres), but by 2006, this had increased by more than 20 percent to 94 hectares (232 acres). But despite the increase in farm size, there are now fewer individual farms. In 1986, Ontario had 72,713 farms, but twenty years later, with the latest figures available, based on the 2006 census, Ontario has 57,211 farms.

“The difference in the number of farms has to do with specialization and economies of scale,” says Crews. “Farms are not static. If markets change, farmers often have to change with them. A commodity that is in demand today may not be in demand tomorrow.”

As farm businesses changed in the late 80s, many people pursued a global focus and global market, exporting more and growing for specific markets, she explains.

“Farmers are business people,” says Crews. “It comes down to profit.” And here is the biggest concern across the sector. The average age of farmers is 57 and there are concerns for the next generation. “No young person will get into a career without looking at the bottom line.”

For Crews and many in her generation, marrying a farmer meant inheriting debt and complex family structures. “We poured everything back into the farm,” she says, working their way out of debt while raising children. “For my son, the realities are much different because the economy is so much different.”

She is optimistic, however. “The mindset changes generationally. There are opportunities. Young people are getting into organics and natural foods, specialty meats. Young people are buying a piece of equipment and moving from farm to farm.”

The globalization of markets represents both opportunities and challenges, says Crews. For instance, the Asian market prefers a fatter pig. Canadians now want smaller pork chops, which means smaller pigs. Smaller pigs bring less return to farmers, so market dictates and free trade means more imported pigs

There’s one more point that Martin and Crews share: the ability to feed ourselves. By 2050 the global population will be 9 billion. How are we going to feed the world? How are we going to feed Canada? For all the love of local, consider the results of the 100-mile diet where you are. Say goodbye to coffee, tea, chocolate, olive oil, citrus fruit, bananas, spices and vanilla. Beer too. While there are specialty growers of hops and some barley in Ontario, the majority of barley used for brewing in Canada comes from the Prairies. Winter, after that Thanksgiving feast, looks awfully long and dependent on foresight, preserves and canning.

“We are losing our connection to the country being able to feed itself,” says Crews. “I know it sounds like a scare tactic, but I think its important. If something terrible like another 9/11 happens, if the borders shut down and we are six months from planting, where are we?”