The Staples: What's in Your Snacks?

It sounds mundane, but in order to be cost effective and receive the most nutrients from easily transportable and conveniently stored school snacks (i.e. granola bars), I have been purchasing the same products since September. These food products include, Quaker Chewy Chocolate Bars, Fruit-to-go strips, Nutrigrain Bars and President’s Choice/Compliments Applesauce—the former being less packed with nutrition, and all the products containing significant amounts of sugar. However, they have been my snack staples this year, and kept me going at even the most crucial times. When our SJS group decided to focus on food security, and food sovereignty, I thought it would be appropriate to look a little more critically at these sources of energy. I decided I would do this by making phone calls to the companies that produce my favourite snacks.

All the companies provide explicitly either on the product, or the product packaging a number or website that they can be reached at. This started off as a good sign.

Cycle of Weeds, Permaculture Opportunities, UVIC Environmental Restoration, Wwoof and Soil Apprenticeships, UVIC Food Courses, Gaia College and SOUL

March 27, 2011
I spent most of yesterday pulling weeds out two flower beds around the house. It was an activity not directly related to food production, but related to yard maintenance (by way of showing that neglecting the yard for a year does not yield good results). The soil was disturbed and bare, allowing early successional, colonizing plants (weeds) to take over. Pulling them up, further disturbs the soil and the seed bank, which leads to further weeds and more pulling...it is an endless cycle.

Documentary Screening Inspiring and Educational

Last Thursday, Nick Versteeg arrived on campus to show his documentary "Food Security: It's In Your Hands". Although we started with a few technical hiccups, I believe the event was quite a success! It was great to see interested students and community members out at this event. The documentary was wonderful and I came away feeling inspired. As an environmental studies student I often become overwhelmed by environmental issues and it becomes hard not to shut-down and easy to give up hope. This film has re-energized my drive and passion for food security and ensured me that others are just as pissed off.

The film asks the question, can we feed the world the way we farm today?  The U.N. estimates that there will be 9 billion people by 2050. The answer is NO. The film introduces us to a variety of characters. Farmers who have converted their commercial farms to organic farms, young farmers, dairy farmers, authors, soil specialists, and beekeepers. Cheap imports undermine local farmers and makes it impossible for them to compete on the market. Only 4% of the population in BC are farmers, the rest are "urbanites". That means if we want to encourage food security and local, sustainable agriculture we require more people to get into farming. Farming isn't the most sexy or glamorous career for students emerging from university to pick.Young farmers Heather Walker and Brock Mcloed bought ten acres of farmland in Cowichan Valley and turned it into Makaria Farm. They remind the audience that environmentally sustainable farming is financially viable and a positive career choice for those who want to live out their values. I learned a great deal about the importance of soil and what is happening to our bees.