BC Food Systems Network
Register Now! The 2010 BC Food Systems Gathering Registration is filling up. Click on the Gathering 2010 link in the lefthand column of our website and register today to hold your place. The Registration page has an online registration form as well as ongoing updates about the Gathering.
The Gathering will run from Sept 23rd through to the 26th. We will converge for our annual exchange of information, networking and our General Meeting. It will be held in the lovely village of Ymir (pronounced "why - mur"), on the Salmo River. Ymir is located 20 minutes outside of Nelson, in what is known as the West Kootenays. This area is part of the traditional territory of the Sinix't, with the Syilx (Okanagan), and the Ktunaxa also engaging with this landscape through the ages. This year, our theme is water. The BC Food Systems Network seeks to foster an environment where water resources are not only acknowledged but cherished as an essential element of life and a sustainable food system for all. More information will be posted on this website as we lead up to the event.
New! If you are wondering where on earth the Gathering is, just how small is Ymir and where the events will be held in such a tiny village, please click on the Gathering 2010 link where you will find a link that shows where Ymir is located in the province, a Village road map, and a map showing the Gathering venues. Join us in this beautiful setting to talk about food systems and water, meet new people, reconnect with old friends and get inspired and re-energized for the work we all do in our communities!
The BC Food Systems Network was formed in September, 1999, to link people all over the province involved in community-level action related to food. In keeping with the holistic perspective of the local food security and food policy organizations, the Network emphasizes the way in which food issues cross cultures, sectors, and age groups. Through an email network and annual meetings, we share insights, initiatives, strategies and critical analysis of events in the food system and our own work. We have held an Annual Gathering in September of each year since 1999, during which the Network's Annual General Meetings are held.
The BC Food Systems Network became a registered B.C. Society in October, 2004. Membership (and access to our electronic list serve) is open to anyone who supports our mission and democratic, inclusive process. Download the Membership Form or, if you wish to join our listserve without becoming a Member, you can subscribe by clicking on this link and following the directions. Please note that you must be subscribed to post to our listserv.
The Network has operated successfully for over a decade based solely on the efforts of many volunteers and the money we raise through memberships and donations. Please consider donating to the BC Food Systems Network. Donations can be made by sending cash or cheque through the postal mail (see our Contact Us page for the address) or by using the Donation button here:
What is A food system?
A food system is the deliberate organization of the production, processing, distribution, selection and consumption of food. The dominant food system in North America is industrial: that is, it emphasizes mechanical over organic and a capital-intensive rather than labour-intensive production, processing and distribution methods. It is oriented toward global trade rather than the satisfaction of local needs, and is controlled by a handful of large transnational corporations.
What is Wrong With Our Food System?
We are outraged at the level of hunger and malnutrition in a society where food is plentiful. In a wealthy society, social welfare payments which do not assure personal food security are unacceptable. We cannot rely on overburdened and understocked food banks; nor can we continue to implement support programs which leave out critical constituencies (eg. babies between 6 months and 5 years old).
The contamination of breast milk is an appalling symbol of one of the major problems in a system which can be described as "abuse of the planet". Genetic engineering of food and seeds must be stopped.
The high level of corporate and external control of our food system, coupled with "free trade" agreements, is undermining local agriculture and food production. It also leaves us highly vulnerable to an emergency since we do not have control of our own food resources.
We are losing the essential arts of farming, gardening, foraging, identifying edible and medicinal plants, cooking, preserving and storing foods, and the cultures and community sharing that have accompanied them. The connection of food and food security to every sector and level of society is ignored as governments and ministries contradict or undermine one another's actions, and community groups are given no voice in policy-making. This must change!
We need an agri-food policy which crosses jurisdictions to provide the framework within which it is easier for individuals to make good choices. The motto should be partnership among Ministries, various levels of government, and the civil society organizations which are taking leadership in food security work.
