Community
Food Security
Rosie Kadwell,
Public Health Dietitian
Community Food Security
• Definition
• Root Causes
• How to address Community Food
Insecurity
• HKPR District Health Unit involvement
• Haliburton County Community Food
Assessment
Food Security
Everyone in the community has access to
 Safe food
 Personally/Culturally acceptable
 Nutritious
Community Food Security
Everyone in the community has access to
 Safe food
 Personally/Culturally acceptable
 Nutritious
Sustainable Food System
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Healthy choices
Community self-reliance
Social Justice
Equal access for everyone
Food System
Sustainable Food Systems
A healthy sustainable food system
focuses on:
• Local seasonal foods
• Health of the population
• Building communities
• Local economic development
• Supporting local producers,
processors, distributors and retailers
Complexity of the
Food System
Environmental
Degradation
Note: Based on work by Jennifer Parker
(UofT) for the City of Hamilton in 2013
Soil Erosion/Loss
Loss of Agricultural Land
Overproduction
Land
Pesticides & Fertilizers
Land value/speculation
Skill Loss
Development
Climate
Overconsumption
Financial Viability
Greenhouse
Gas Emissions
Excess Packaging
Production
Waste
Recovery
Infrastructure
Skill Loss
Food System
Assessment,
Planning,
Action &
Policy
Fossil Fuels
& Peak Oil
Globalization
Food Disruption
Vulnerability
Nutrition
Safety
Processing
Distribution
Transportation
& Storage
Education
Consumption
Food Supply
Chain vs. Web
Energy-dense
foods
Packaging
Rising Food Prices
Business Costs
Pollution
Food Banks
Disease
Food Insecurity
Buying
Selling
Access
Food Deserts
Hunger
Infrastructure
Consumer-Producer
barriers (conflicting
regulations)
Poverty
Manufacturing Claims/Menu Labels
Social
Isolation
Environmental
Health
Food
processing,
distribution
and
marketing
Social Equity and
Human Health
Food
production
Food
consumption
Economic
Vitality
Causes of Community Food
Insecurity
Lack of
• Basic Income
• Affordable Housing
• Affordable Day Care
• Access to Healthy Food
• Local Food Production
• Infrastructure to Support Local Food
• Food Policies
Do we live in Communities
that are Food Secure or Insecure?
Creating Food Secure Communities
HKPR Community Nutrition Team
What are we doing?
• Involved in all aspects of the Community
Food Security Continuum
Community Food Assessment
(CFA)
“A CFA is a powerful way to tell the story of what
is happening with food in a community, and to
mobilize efforts to improve the food system.
Through such assessments, diverse stakeholders
work together to research local food system,
share findings, and implement changes based on
their findings & recommendations.”
Community Food System Assessment Washington
State University Extension Service
Prior to CFA, work will need to
focus on
diverse stakeholders work
together
Educate Key Stakeholders & Decision Makers
Collaborative Process
Build Partnerships
Engage Community Members
Cultivate Trust
Establish a CFA Steering Committee
• pride & ownership
January 2014
Recruiting CFA Steering Committee
Spring 2014
Assessment Priorities
 Food Production
and Consumption
 Food Access
 Municipal Policy
Planning
Fall 2014 - Winter 2015
Working Groups – Food Production and Consumption
Little quantitative data
Discovered that official stats and
reports did not accurately reflect our
local farming activity
Fall 2014 - Winter 2015
Working Groups – Food Production and Consumption
Qualitative Approach – key
informant interviews
Interviewed past and present local
food producers - listened to their
stories, challenges and successes
Interviewed grocery stores,
restaurants and farmers market
vendors
Fall 2014 - Winter 2015
Working Groups – Food Access
Researcher and GIS consultant
• Survey of 56 food business or
programs
• Develop Data Base
• Food access point mapping
• Map Deprivation Index
• Analysis, Recommendations
Fall 2014 - Winter 2015
Working Groups – Municipal Planning/Policy
• Hired Consultant with Land Use Planning
expertise
• Reviewed OP
• Reviewed OP with similar features i.e.
rural, lack prime agricultural lands,
seasonal tourism major economic base
Fall 2014 - Winter 2015
Working Groups – Municipal Planning/Policy
• Environmental scan
• Interviews with key stakeholders
• Set priorities around food systems
Spring & Summer 2015
• Completed Food and
Official Plan Report
• Presentations to
County Council and
Dysart et al
• Finalizing the other
two reports
Fall 2015 – Winter 2016
• Share our findings with community
• Move forward with recommendations
and recruit more community members
• Seek new funding source
Our Accomplishments
Educate Key Stakeholders and
Decision Makers
 20+ key stakeholders were educated on
importance of community food security
planning and conducting CFA
 All municipalities were engaged in the
CFA process
 Interest from County Planner & County
Tourism Director
Our Accomplishments
Collaborative Process
 All CFA decisions were made in a collaborative
fashion
“ Working together collaboratively
changes us from isolated units into one
voice; it breaks down barriers and made
us more effective”
Accomplishments
Built Partnerships
 Developed strong partnerships
with key stakeholders
“It strengthened those of us who care
about food security and sustainability
to work closely with one another especially working with Municipal
Councilors and staff - we have the
chance to influence municipal
planning in a really important way.”
Feedback on Collaboration
and Partnership
"Being part of the CFA project has not only
given my business an opportunity to develop
as a social enterprise, but more importantly,
it has offered a wider perspective of food
issues through working with fellow
stakeholders."
Community Food Security
Thank-you