WHEREAS there is an international shortage of food and the world population is growing at a rapid pace; AND WHEREAS British Columbia was 73 self sufficient in producing the provinces food requirements in 1985 and just 48 self sufficient producing its food requirements in 2001; AND WHEREAS the British Columbia land base has less than 5 available land suitable for the production of food: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities prevail upon the provincial government to work with stakeholder associations to develop and implement strategies and policies to ensure British Columbia is self sufficient in food production by the year 2020.
Ministry of Agriculture There are several components to food security including food access, affordability and availability. The Ministry of Agriculture develops policy, regulations and programming that support the preservationenhancement of the local supply of food availability. As British Columbia is not self sufficient, part of the food supply is satisfied by importing food to meet our demand for fresh foods out of season, foods not grown locally and foods that are more economically grown in other regions of the world. With less than 5 of the provincial land base capable of food production, the Ministry of Agriculture policies and programming aim to support farm land, farm businesses and farmers in maximizing the supply of BC food using sustainable practices. These include: - The Agriculture Land Reserve to protect farm land. - Financial programs to reduce risk to farm businesses and improve the viability of food production in BC. - Employment, education and youth programs to meet the demands for farm labour and ensure future generations of farmers. The Ministry of Health Services has funding responsibility and oversees the implementation for Food Security Model Core Program which is the BC governments primary initiative related to food security. Community Food Action Initiative receives 1.5 million from the Ministry of Health Services to deliver food security programs which take place at the Regional Health Authority level. These are but a few examples of governments commitment to ensure BCs capacity to supply food to British Columbians is maintained and productivity is increasing. This can only occur if federal, provincial and local governments continue to support the preservation of farm landwater, profitability of farm businesses and encouragement for the next generation of BC farmers.