January 2015 Food & Water First Update

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Published on Thursday, 08 January 2015 15:54

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Happy Food&WaterFirst New Year!

While we didn’t have a thick white blanket for Christmas, it thankfully came soon after. That isn’t a welcomed arrival for many people, but some of us get comfort from that muffled crunch that boots on snow can make. It’s very much a familiar noise from happy winters past.  As an insulator, snow plays a valuable role in the seasonal cycle. It protects the soil from the harshest temperatures and supports rest and regeneration before the next growing season.

This is the International Year of Soils according to the UN. Just in time one would think, as soil is taking a beating all over the planet. There are a number of compelling YouTube videos on the subject. They tell about its critical importance, and also how soil has been neglected and depleted globally.  We’ve been treating soil like dirt so to speak and yet it cradles and cleans our water and grows our food.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will spend the next year focusing on the world's soils, and bringing attention to this resource that sustains all of us. As with farmland, once soil is gone, in many cases it’s gone for good. Self-restoration can take hundreds or thousands of years if possible at all given the many layers (soil horizons) beneath it that support its growth and health.  A sobering fact from the Ministry of Agriculture (2013) is that Ontario exports 11 billion in agricultural products, but imports 21 billion. That’s my response to those who go for long drives and see many kilometers of lovely farmland and soil and assume everything’s just great. Those aren’t numbers that indicate self-sustainment. This New Year is showing many positive signs though and those statistics can get turned around. There are more and more campaigns that are focusing on protection of the fundamentals of life and there is so much to feel optimistic about.

The Liberal government has promised to implement the Farms Forever program to protect more prime agricultural lands near urban centres and there continues to be focus on the Aggregate Resources Act review. Both efforts are aiming to put better planning in place. Let’s help the momentum keep building so that our best land and water will be protected and that we can truly attain some aspects of food security.

Our local indoor farmers market last weekend was quiet – it should have been attended by anyone whose job or role is to set an example whether that example is for kids or constituents.

Save the soil by using the soil. Shop, eat, and share local. And for everyone’s sake, sign the pledge already.

By Shirley Boxem, NDACT Chair
Published in the Shelburne Free Press, Jan. 8, 2015

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