Increasingly, more and more Canadian jurisdictions — municipal and provincial — are including food production and food security in political discussions and policy. There are a variety of reasons, stemming from concerns surrounding physical and mental health, social wellbeing and resiliency, environmental issues such as land and water preservation, agricultural economies, emergency situations, and others.

Several towns, cities, and provinces across Canada are using the concept of a food charter to raise awareness and develop food policies. A food charter is a declaration (think Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms) formed by community stakeholders (government, businesses, non-profit organizations, communities, families and individuals) and adopted by government, defining and articulating common principles and goals.

A food charter is one way a community can ensure that government policies build and protect food accessibility and that food issues become a highest priority, and governments focus on building stronger local food economies decreasing our reliance on food imports. The charter is used as an information tool when governments are developing binding policy on food, land use, the environment, and economic development, as these policies relate to food access and security.

Statements included in a charter may be broad — “support regional farmers and food producers” (Vancouver Food Charter) — or specific — “plant decorative gardens with food producing species that are maintained and managed to promote the conservation of wildlife” (Kaslo Food Charter) — but virtually all include provisions for the protection of farmland, water quality, food safety and improving the access of healthy, affordable food for all people.

Currently in Canada there are about a dozen food charters in effect or in development at various levels of governance — Kaslo, Kamloops, Merritt, Greater Victoria and Vancouver, B.C.; Prince Albert and Saskatoon, Sask.; Sudbury, Ottawa and Toronto, Ont.; and Montreal, Que., as well as the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

So does the Creston Valley need a food charter? Yes, for at least three reasons: the nature of our food distribution, the nature of our population distribution and the nature of our land distribution.

The Creston Valley enjoys a rich agricultural heritage and is home to over 100 commercial farms, orchards and other food producers. Backyard gardens and fruit trees are common sights. The Creston Community Garden is fully subscribed and the community greenhouse is bursting at the seams. The Harvest Share program was developed by the Creston Valley Food Action Coalition specifically to redistribute surplus food.

However, not only is our seeming food abundance seasonal, the vast majority of the food our community consumes still comes from far beyond our valley, being grown and processed many kilometres, even continents away. We are linked to our food distribution system by complex, international, transportation-dependent, open border-reliant connections. Recent food riots and export bans, rising fuel costs, transportation restrictions, weather events and climate change, and biohazard concerns occurring around the world have demonstrated just how easily this system can be disrupted and how quickly access to healthy food could become an issue for our citizens.

As one small example of how suddenly and significantly our access to food can be impacted, we are all familiar with what happens in our grocery stores when the Kootenay Pass closes for only a few days at a time. What would happen if mountain passes or the U.S. border closed for longer periods?

Poverty is a reality for many Creston residents. Approximately 25 per cent of the area's population is 65 years of age and older, and single parent families account for 13 per cent of our inhabitants, the two most likely groups to face poverty and food security issues. The current economic downturn, job losses, rising taxes and reduced government services exacerbate the problem and increase the need for a focus on food issues. The operation of community support groups such as the Gleaners food bank confirm that access to healthy food is already a concern for many, and it could become the experience of most, if we do not plan to modify, enhance and protect food production and distribution in our community.

Urban sprawl and decimation of farmland led the provincial government to pass the Land Commission Act in 1973 and later form the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) to help stop productive land from disappearing under the paver’s wheel. But in the 37 years of the ALR’s existence, more than 8,000 hectares (20,000 acres) of agricultural land in Central Kootenay has been lost. Applications for Creston Valley agricultural property exclusion from the ALR are increasing every year. It is important for us to remember that if we do not grow our own food, we are completely dependent upon those who do.

So what is being done? In 2008, the Creston Valley Food Action Coalition made a presentation to Creston town council seeking permission to spearhead the development of a food charter for consideration. That proposal received unanimous support. But due to the nature of the distribution of food-producing land in the Creston Valley, the development of a food charter here must also include the backing of the regional district. A presentation seeking this support was not made possible until 2009, which, sadly, was largely ignored. In the meantime, there was a change of town council. Any efforts to develop a Creston Valley food charter have not moved forward in recent times. While it appears that the Creston Valley will not adopt a food charter in the near future, there are a number of committed individuals continuing to work in this direction.

Gail Southall is a local food advocate working to promote the economic, social, physical and environmental wisdom of a dynamic, locally sustained food system.