The Rural Voice, 2006-05, Page 12Jeffrey Carter
Farmers mag need to change gears
Jeffrey
Carter is a
freelance
journalist
based in
Dresden,
Ontario.
QUOTE: "In the abundance of water.
the pool is thirsty."
— Bob Marler, Rat Race
The late Bob Marley wasn't
thinking about the farming
community when he wrote those
words but the sentiment applies.
Canadian farmers are part of an
affluent society and yet many of their
number have been unable to share in
the bounty. The wealth generated by
the food system is controlled by too
few hands. Consider, for instance, the
ability of grocery distributors to
replace old retail stores with new
ones while farmers are being forced
from the land.
The success of the food distribution
sector shouldn't be begrudged.
Still, the farmer blockades of food
terminals in Ontario were apt. As
Liberal MP Wayne Easter pointed out
in his report last summer. one of the
biggest challenges for today's
farmers is their lack of clout in the
marketplace.
Another is the failure of
governments in Canada.' federally and
provincially. to adequately address
the problem.
It is appropriate for Ontario farmers
to draw attention to their situation
and push for higher levels of
government support. At the same
time, however, consideration should
be given to alternative ways of doing
business.
After all. there is no lack of strong
signals coming from government.
both federally and provincially, that
indicate farmers are not a,priority.
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8 THE RURAL VOICE
Income Support) program. for
instance, appears to have been
designed primarily to reduce farm
numbers. Why else would support
payments be weighted toward
expanding operations?
Of course. the adoption of farming
alternatives is no small challenge,
and is certainly less straightforward
than whacking government with a big
stick in an effort to shake loose spare
change from the treasuries for
primary agriculture.
The Toronto Food Policy Council
(TFPC) is one place farmers might
look to gain new perspectives of the
food system.
1 subscribe to the TFPC's free e-
mail service which delivers an
eclectic mix of news. views.
announcements and links. While only
a small percentage of the information
may have concrete value for an
individual farmer. it does provide a
wide spectrum of views concerning
the food system.
After all. while farmers are
grounded in what really matters, it
does not hurt to look at the world
through others' eyes.
Following are a few examples of
the TFPC e-mails I've received in the
past few weeks:
• An article from Yes magazine
describing the growing number of
North Americans who are actively
seeking out locally -produced foods.
• The report of a new study
describing the ecological virtues of
organic farming as compared to
agriculture that's reliant on synthetic
chemicals and fertilizers.
• Various meandering reflections by
the TFPC's project co-ordinator,
Wayne Roberts, such as his view of
how the province's $2 billion Moye
Ontario infrastructure plans are
connected to the food system.
• A link to the Time article about
North America's food system and
"the politics of fat."
• Various announcements of public
meetings related to food system
issues.
For more information got to the
TFPC website at www.toronto.ca/
health/tfpc_index.htm.