Growing Green Sustainable Food Policy and Legal Reform Project Partners: FarmFolk/CityFolk West Coast Environmental Law Liu Institute for Global Issues (UBC) What is Growing Green? • Two-year law and policy reform project on food and sustainability funded by Canada’s Voluntary Sector Initiative and Tides Canada Growing Green 2 Project Objectives • Develop, in strategic areas, practical law and policy models and reform proposals Growing Green 3 Project Objectives • Develop in strategic areas, practical law and policy models and reform proposals • Strengthen capacity of voluntary organizations to contribute to law and policy Growing Green 4 Project Team • West Coast Environmental Law • FarmFolk/CityFolk • Liu Institute for Global Issues Growing Green 5 Project Focus • Federal, provincial and local law/policy as it applies to growing food in and around BC’s urban areas • Innovative ideas generated across Canada and around the world • Community groups and Reference Group asked to identify priorities Growing Green 6 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 Growing Green 7 Project Approach: community collaboration Work with farm, food and voluntary organizations to: • • • • • Solicit and review policy suggestions Develop policy recommendations Solicit comments on recommendations Refine policy recommendations Report results/further developments Growing Green 8 Strengthening Capacity: network building • • • • • Work with other NGOs, academics, farmers, gov’t Encourage policy dialogues Use creative problem solving techniques Use most effective ways to share information Provide tools, resources to assist voluntary sector policy input Growing Green 9 Strengthening Capacity: policy dialogue-’sharing the benefits’ Year 1 financial contributions to: • • • • • Certified Organic Associations of BC Lower Mainland Food Council POLIS Project on Ecological Governance Small Scale Food Processor Association BC Food Systems Network Growing Green 10 Strategic Law Reform: determining project priorities • Over 50 potential projects identified in collaboration with farm, food, and voluntary organizations • Priorities shaped and determined with advice from Reference Group, based on: – Requested by farm, food, or voluntary group? – Can Growing Green can add value? – Practical, useful, and doable? Growing Green 11 Strategic Law Reform: priorities • Making sustainable food systems work • Making sustainable food systems pay Growing Green 12 Strategic Law Reform making sustainable food systems work • Making the case for community based food councils • Showcasing model Official Community Plans and Bylaws • Contributing to provincial public health legislation • Attracting small scale food processors Growing Green 13 Strategic Law Reform making sustainable food systems work Making the case for community food councils • • • • Importance of community-based food systems Need for inter-sectoral food forums Need for food policy and planning Food councils help deliver economic, environmental, social benefits in communities Growing Green 14 Strategic Law Reform making sustainable food systems work Showcasing model OCPs and bylaws • Work with Smart Growth, other partners • Inform and educate regional/municipal partners • Link food councils to Agricultural Advisory Committees • Draft or amend bylaws, sections of OCPs Growing Green 15 Strategic Law Reform making sustainable food systems work Contributing to BC public health legislation • Negotiate for new Public Health Act that: – includes healthy eating as a core service – includes food security as basis for healthy eating and chronic disease prevention – includes key duties and obligations • Explore development of a BC Food Council Growing Green 16 Strategic Law Reform making sustainable food systems work Attracting small-scale food processors • Help develop BC Food and Beverage Processor Association with input from small-scale operators • Help develop a pilot regional manufacturing/distribution network • Explore regional brands (e.g. Fresh from the Islands) Growing Green 17 Strategic Law Reform making sustainable food systems pay • Making long-term land management pay • Making ecological practices pay Growing Green 18 Strategic Law Reform making sustainable food systems pay Making long-term land management pay • Investigating co-farming/multi-family housing • Bringing UK National Trust and other ‘working farm’ trust models to BC • Restoring right to conservation covenants • Obtaining quota to use collectively • Registering short-term leases against title Growing Green 19 Strategic Law Reform making sustainable food systems pay Making ecological practices pay • Accounting mechanisms • Reward mechanisms Growing Green 20 Strategic Law Reform making ecological practices pay • Rationale: Carefully managed, farmland protects the soil, provides a buffer against droughts and floods, and can provide habitat for a range of species. • Problem: In many situations, farmers are penalized for protecting the environment, since “sustainable practices” increase costs and make farms uncompetitive. • Goal: Investigate methods that will reward farmers who use “sustainable practices.” Growing Green 21 Strategic Law Reform making ecological practices pay Accounting Mechanisms • The USDA’s Proper Ecosystem Functioning Condition has been successfully applied in a number of cases on Vancouver Island. • The LEED programme of certifying green buildings in the US could be applied to farms in British Columbia. • Organic standards could also be extended to encompass farms that promote ecological functions like wildlife habitat. Growing Green 22 Strategic Law Reform making ecological practices pay Mechanisms to reward: • Tax Shifting: using municipal property tax to provide breaks for farmers who promote habitat on their farms; • Marketing: government sponsored marketing for farmers who promote habitat and are certified through a mechanism identified in proposal #1, • Compensation: compensation for wildlife damage. Growing Green 23 Ancillary Projects • Case studies – Noble Food and Education Centre – Engeler Farm – Local sourcing for school food • Host information from related food initiatives on Growing Green website • Further ‘think pieces’ Growing Green 24 Growing Green Website: www.ffcf.bc.ca/GrowingGreen.html • • • • • Project description ‘Making the Case for Growing Green’ Project priorities Biographies Links Growing Green 25