Growing Green
Sustainable Food Policy &
Legal Reform
Project Partners:
FarmFolk/CityFolk
West Coast Environmental Law
Liu Institute for Global Issues (UBC)
What is Growing Green?
• Two-year law & policy reform project on
sustainable food systems funded by
Canada’s Voluntary Sector Initiative &
Tides Canada
• Focused on Southwestern BC: exurban
Vancouver & Victoria
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Project Objectives
• Develop in strategic areas, practical law &
policy models & reform proposals
• Strengthen capacity of voluntary
organizations to contribute to law & policy
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Project Team
• West Coast Environmental Law
(Lawrence Alexander), Mark Haddock
• FarmFolk/CityFolk
Herb Barbolet, Kathleen Gibson
• Liu Institute for Global Issues
Evan Fraser, Kristina Bouris
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Case for Growing Green
• Food system produces environmental services
• Food system needs to produce more environmental
services to be sustainable
• Wide spectrum of solutions proposed, including:
– Help sustainable farmers by removing regulatory barriers
– Prepare ‘Plan B’ to current reliance on cheap fuel
– Overhaul system; build a local food economy
• Growing Green: reforms that offer meaningful
progress towards all three
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Strategic Law Reform
Determining project priorities
• Over 50 potential projects identified in
collaboration with farm, food, &
voluntary organizations
• Priorities shaped & determined with
advice from Reference Group, based on:
– Requested by voluntary sector group?
– Can Growing Green can add value?
– Practical, useful, & doable?
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Strategic Law Reform
Priorities
• Making sustainable food systems work
• Making sustainable food systems pay
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Strategic Law Reform
Making sustainable food systems work
• Community-based food councils in GVRD,
CRD
• Model Official Community Plans & Bylaws
• Junk food in schools
(with Environmental Law Centre)
• Provincial public health legislation
• Small-scale food processors
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Strategic Law Reform
Making sustainable food systems pay
Making long-term land management pay
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Co-farming/multi-family housing
Farmland trusts & conservation covenants
Organics & regulated marketing
Farm labour practices
Farm leases
Making ecological practices pay
• Ecological services: incentives & rewards
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Ancillary Projects
• “Think piece” on BC agri-food
• Voluntary sector tools
• Case studies
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Ancillary Projects
“Think piece” on BC agri-food
Farm & food businesses, other aspects
of food systems that are off
government radar/fall between cracks
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Ancillary Projects
Voluntary Sector Tools
• Manual on basics re input to government
• “Mind map” of food systems
• Research/resources on state-of-art praxis
re community-based food councils
• Workshop “Policy Input 201” for
agri-food voluntary sector organizations
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Ancillary Projects
Case Studies
• Engeler Farm
• Noble Food & Education Centre
• Local sourcing for school food
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Project Promotion
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Growing Green presentations
Conference presentations
Launch event March 2004
Communications strategy
Web site
List serves
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Project Promotion
Growing Green presentations
Federal govt, Ottawa, April 2003
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Office of Auditor General
National Round Table
Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada
Voluntary Sector Initiative
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Project Promotion
Growing Green presentations
Provincial/local govt, Apr-Sep 2003
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Agricultural Land Commission
BC Agriculture Council
Capital Regional District
Environment Canada/Cdn Wildlife Service
Ministry Agriculture, Food & Fisheries
Ministry Sustainable Resource Management
Ministry Water, Land & Air Protection
Provincial Health Officer
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Project Promotion
Conference presentations
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Salt Spring Island Farmers Institute
GVRD Economic Strategy for Ag/Lower Mainland
UBC Agroecology Forum
Land Trust Alliance 2003 AGM
Leading Edge Conference: Stewardship &
Conservation in Canada
Economics Co-ops course, Bologna, Italy
BC Food Systems Network 2002 & 2003 Conferences
Community Food Security Coalition 2003, Boston
National Food Security Conference 2004, Winnipeg
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Project Promotion
Launch Event March 2004
• Interactive final report
• Wrap & evaluate project, plant seeds
• Showcase work of voluntary sector
partners
• Day-long forum with
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Keynote address
3 workshops
Introduction of tools
Participatory evaluation
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Project Promotion
Communications strategy
• Preliminary work with IMPACS
Web site
• www.ffcf.bc.ca/GrowingGreen.html
List serves
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Project Overview
Report Card
• Actual policy & law reform proposals &
results?
• Stronger policy capacity in agri-food
voluntary sector organizations?
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Project Overview
Report Card: Policy
• GVRD: recommendations made to Task
Force, Task Force to draft food policy & plan
• CRD: recommendations to be summarized
• OCPS/bylaws: models to be summarized
(with Smart Growth help)
• Junk food/schools: recommendations to be
summarized (with Env. Law Centre help)
• Public health: ideas submitted through CNC
• Small-scale food processors: recommendations, Emilia Romagna paper to come
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Project Overview
Report Card: Policy
• Farmland trusts: recommendations made to
LTA & Salt Spring partners
• Organics/regulated marketing: policy options
offered to organics partners/coalition
• Farm leases: partners’ support sought for
amendment
• Farm labour practices: identify priorities
• Ecological services: policy options
summarized, need implementation strategy
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Project Overview
Report Card: Voluntary Sector Capacity
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Contacted over 65 organizations
Working with ~10 strategic partners
“Sharing the Benefits” Program
Tools
Roles
Links
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Project Overview
Report Card: Voluntary Sector Capacity
Key Strategic Partners
• Lower Mainland Food Coalition: re-convened
coalition, assisting input to local/regional govt
• CR-FAIR: expanding coalition, assisting with
input to local/regional govt
• SSFPA: assisting with strategy & positioning
re MAFF, Investment Agriculture
• COABC: linking to BC Marketing Board review
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Project Overview
Report Card: Voluntary Sector Capacity
“Sharing the Benefits” Program 1/2
Fostered policy dialogues with/for:
• BC Food Systems Network
• COABC
• Land Trust Alliance
• POLIS Project
• Small-Scale Food Processors Association
• Your Local Farmers’ Market Society
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Project Overview
Report Card: Voluntary Sector Capacity
“Sharing the Benefits” Program 2/2
Proposing policy dialogues with:
• COABC: meet with organics coalition
• CR-FAIR: action workshop re Capital
Region Food Council
• District A Farmers’ Institute: pilot
farmland trust project
• POLIS Project: ecological services
incentives for farmers in GVRD, CRD
• PICSS: farm labour co-op
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Project Overview
Report Card: Voluntary Sector Capacity
Tools
• Advisory memos (strategy, tactics)
• Blueprints (for govt, for circulation)
Roles
• “Honest broker” roles between voluntary
sector & government agencies
Links
• New policy links & partnerships between
NGOs, legal & academic communities
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Project Overview
Report Card: Strengths/Weaknesses
Strengths
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In-person outreach
Effective in providing ideas to partners
Flexibility: taking advice & opportunities
Reference Group: useful tips, guidance
Project team: strong mix of skills
Demonstrated useful new partnership models
Attracted attention & great volunteers
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Project Overview
Report Card: Strengths/Weaknesses
Weaknesses
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Priorities hard to integrate coherently
Too many issues – spread too thin?
Little connection with AAFC, APF
Drawn into some voluntary sector politics
Advisory role -> limited control over
outcomes
• Lack of broadcast project communications
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Project Overview
Proposed Policy Focus/Effort to Mar 2004
Major effort
• GVRD: long-term food policy & plan
• CRD: baseline food security assessment,
proposal for food council
• Organics coalition: policy options input to
specialty programs review
• “Think piece” on BC alternative agri-food
• Voluntary sector tools
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Project Overview
Proposed Policy Focus/Effort to Mar 2004
Minor effort
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OCPS/bylaws: models summary
Junk food in schools: policy recommendations
Public health: grassroots links
SSFPA: lessons from Emilia Romagna
Farmland trusts: pilot project startup
Farm leases: amendment filed
Farm labour practices: action plan
Ecological services: implementation strategy
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Project Overview
After Growing Green: new initiatives?
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Community food councils in GVRD, CRD
Farmland trust pilot on Salt Spring
More on Emilia Romagna models for BC
Business case for BC “alternative” agri-food
Ecological services programs in GVRD, CRD
LEED farm program
Agri-food specialist at WCEL
National healthy eating challenge
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