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  • VI Good Food Initiative
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VI Good Food Initiative

A partnership strategy aimed at building a sustainable Vancouver Island and Coastal Region high value food system

BACKGROUND:

Everyone is talking about local food and its benefits in the media and in the community. The benefits of local food are clear:

• Better nutrition, better taste, better-looking, fresher food
• Better for the environment (lower carbon 'emissions')
• Better for the local economy
• Supports food 'sovereignty'

All this talk leads to a huge demand for local food and food products

But adequate supply to meet this growing demand is a big problem on the Islands-we only produce the economic equivalence of about 5% of the food we eat here. The supply problems are due to:

• Federal and provincial policies that support exporting Canadian food and importing cheap alternatives
• 'cheap food' expectations
• Farmers struggling to make ends meet-The Farm Income Crisis
• Problems finding and training agricultural labour and encouraging new farmers
• Problems financing new crop and product development
• Loss of locally-owned quota (permission to sell) on the Island
• High cost of land due to pressure for urban/suburban development
• Increasingly stringent and expensive regulation
• All the stresses that arise in unsustainable systems

So: A group of people from community organizations and businesses looking for more Islands product met in 2005 and created the Islands Good Food Initiative to do background research and planning. The goal is to create a food system development plan which will be implemented.

The Good Food Box Story showing how charitable approaches to providing local food for health purposes needs a stronger business case to succeed in meeting their goals.

Value Chain(pdf). 2007 monograph.

Contending with the Food Access Puzzle:(pdf) an in depth community based research project that explains why we are having problems finding Vancouver Island food.

Community meeting feedback loop(pdf)
The Vancouver Island Good Food Business Network Monograph(pdf)
Short Survey (pdf)
Long Survey(pdf)
Circulation Overview(pdf)
Food Localization Review(pdf)
Bibliography of Farmer stories(pdf)
Ipsos Reid Local Food Poll(pdf)
Vital for Life (pdf)
Vancouver Funders' meeting presentation(pdf)
UVic Environmental Law Centre's press release(pdf)
Reports Target Food and Agricultural Policy Reform Memo 1 Legal Barriers to Increased Local Food Production and Distribution(pdf)
Memo 2 Trade Restrictions on Local Food Production and Distribution(pdf)
Literature Search re: Institutional Purchasing Best Practices

Survey of publicly funded Institutions and agencies: 114 agencies were interviewed in 2007. short version(pdf) long version(pdf)

Sustainable Institutional Purchasing Pilot Project: a community based research project to assist institutions and producers to work together to increase local purchasing capacity - the "Harnessing Food Purchasing Power" conference was held in June 2008.
Report by:
Sandra Mark(pdf)
Rosie Blackburn(pdf)
Donovan Woollard(pdf)
Work Group Results

Island Restaurant Survey:(Word Document) 101 chefs were interviewed to find out their practices vis-…-vis local food purchasing. See Notes and Quotes(Word Document).

Co-packing Kitchen Development: Plans for new manufacturing kitchens are in process.

The Vancouver Island Heritage Foodservice Co-op, a Value Chain business link consumer demand, including farmer production, food processing, marketing and distribution.

Workforce Development Strategy: Partners are coming together to figure out how to recruit, train and support farm workers and to encourage new farmers. A study funded by Service Canada was completed to assist us to develop a workforce strategy. See the Summary Report(pdf).

Plans for a Local Food System Worker pool: a business plan for a worker co-operative is being developed.

Lorne Ebell's report on appropriate technology for small scale farming to increase economic viability

Consideration of carbon concern and how this can affect/benefit farming

• The Food Carbon Story: A Background Paper on Carbon Accounting Practices for the Food System Prepared by: Catherine Jacobsen(pdf)
• Island Good Food Initiative and Sustainable Institutional Purchasing Project(pdf)

Impact of Supply Management on Local Food System Development

• Island Good Food Initiative - Fact Sheet(pdf)
• Supply Management, Regulated Marketing and Regional Food Systems on Vancouver Island(pdf)

Farmers Speak Out: Can farming on Vancouver Island become Sustainable? For a report of interviews with farmers.

• Is Sustainable Agriculture on Vancouver Island possible?(pdf)
• Appendix 3, Code interview graphs of answers(pdf)

Access to Finance: Mobilizing a partnership of 'friendly funders' to create a sustainable funding/financing system aimed at facilitating regional food systems in BC.

• Funding and Financing a Sustainable Food Future in BC: A Discussion Paper for BC socially conscious funders and financers(pdf)
  • Appendix A(pdf)
  • Appendix C(pdf)
• Making the argument for funding food.by Wendy Holm P.Ag.(pdf)
• Access to Finance for Sustainable Food System Development in BC: Review of Session held June 9, 2009 at Simon Fraser University Downtown(pdf)
• A PowerPoint presentation of Access to Finance to support Sustainable Food System Development in BC, September 2009(pdf)

Creation of a business that fills the gaps in the islands local food system ON A BUSINESS BASIS---making sure that farmers and workers are rewarded for their efforts AND creating the platform and tools that will facilitate investment in the facilities that are needed on the Island. To do this, a multi-stakeholder co-operative was created in November 2007 including farmers, workers and non profit organizations. The vision of the Heritage Foodservice Co-op is: "to contribute to an increase in the quality of life, community health and food security on BC islands by creating an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable BC islands' food infrastructure that grows, preserves, markets, distributes and sells Vancouver Island Coastal Region Good Food Promise food".The co-op is designed as a local foodservice distribution business that also provides Value Chain Co-ordination Services-making sure that local producers will get the highest dollar from the customers.

The business is recruiting farmers to grow food for the 'Foodservice Market Channel' that will market to high-end restaurants, institutions and alternative distributors. See www.hfse.com

For further information about any of the specific initiatives contact: Sandra Mark, Project Manager, Islands Good Food Initiative 250-335-3001 sandra@heritagefoodservice.coop or Frank Moreland, Business Manager, Heritage Foodservice Co-op 250-741-0224 extension 35