Pearson: Fortifying local food system important step in regional resilience

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The late, great Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti once said, “One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”

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It’s a comforting thought but, sadly, one becoming harder to achieve.

After steadily declining for more than ten years, world hunger again is rising, affecting ten percent of the global population. According to the United Nations, in just one year (2019-2020), undernourished people grew by 160 million.

In an interdependent world, it shouldn’t surprise us that our inability to get along as a species significantly impacts food prices and hunger. Two years ago, conflict was the primary driver of hunger for 100 million people in 23 countries. With the the Ukraine-Russia conflict, that number is soaring.  Food costs already were rising. Now, food has become more expensive and unpredictable at the same time. Food prices affect Ukrainian refugees crossing into Poland and Londoners trying to locate lower prices at the grocery store.

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Then, there is our lack of attention to climate change.  Due to torrential rains in Germany, excessive heat in Canada’s prairie provinces, and severe drought in South America, reductions in crop yield are playing havoc with global access and prices. When added to the changes in food supply ensuing from the Ukrainian-Russian war, they portent a very different future. Both economists and climate modellers tell us it’s a reality we will have to get used to.

The poorest suffer the most, as they always have. Nevertheless, this latest onslaught on food prices increasingly affects every economic level, a reality exacerbated by COVID.  Supply chains have been disrupted, and labour has thinned out. Machinery costs have risen along with the price of oil.

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Beneath all of this, like some lurking predatory beast, is inflation.  Two months ago, Canada’s inflation rate surpassed five per cent for the first time in more than three decades. Governments and the Bank of Canada will be forced to implement strict measures that could result in even more economic pain for families, companies, and communities.

London witnessed an outpouring of generosity during the first two years of the pandemic. The amount of empathy we felt for one another seemed unprecedented. The desire to be there for those trapped on the fringes of our society led to the significant giving of funds and volunteerism. Some of our challenges aren’t going away after the pandemic. Homelessness, mental health challenges, seniors’ isolation, these and more remain for us to address.

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As if rising production costs, supply chain issues, and the lack of local supply options weren’t enough, having to face increasing inflation and the most significant military conflict since the Second World War has left us individually and collectively insecure.

In this perfect storm of environmental decline, military brinksmanship, economic turbulence, and social disruption, we feel helpless to alter any outcome. But that’s not entirely true. As demonstrated during the pandemic, this community found ways to help one another. That same innovative spirit is required now.

One of the first places to start is with the development of  local food production. We must build resilience into our system through support of local urban agriculture initiatives like greenhouses and community gardens, food product development, building more secure and prosperous relationships with area farmers and producers, and ultimately fortifying an integrated local and regional food system. The possibilities here are immense but woefully underdeveloped.

We can either languish and wait for the world’s troubles to descend on us, or we can build a more resilient city. On the precipice of a challenging future, it’s better to act than wait.

Glen Pearson is co-director of the London Food Bank and a former Liberal MP for London North Centre.

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