Highlights from the Vote ON Food & Farming Blog

Author: Jenn Kucharczyk

Posted: October 29, 2014

Categories: GoodFoodBites / News from Sustain Ontario / Policy News / Vote ON Food and Farming 2014

 

Have you been following the Vote ON Food & Farming blog? Here are some links to our recent posts leading up to Election Day on October 27th. 

Collaborating on Food: An Interview with Wayne Roberts

“You won’t find a community garden, farmers market, baking oven,school meal program that doesn’t owe its existence to the Power of One dogged and determined and positive person. To make progress easier, faster and benefit more people sooner, we need to go beyond lone individuals — that’s why food policy councils are so important — but the Power of One will always be the renewable fuel of the municipal food movement, and the major source of inspiration and new ideas. We just need to enable it.” Read more…

Creating Dialogue around Temporary Farmers’ Markets and Community Gardens in Waterloo

“Specific steps that are being recommended by the campaign organizers are: zoning by-laws that permit temporary farmers’ markets in more than just commercial land use zones; supportive licensing by-laws and regulations for temporary farmers’ markets; incentives such as reduced or waived fees for temporary farmers’ markets; zoning by-laws that permit community gardens in residential, institutional, and open space zones; and strengthened community garden policies.” Read more…

Growing Local Economies with Good Food

“The diverse actionable strategies suggested to candidates in the solutions-based surveys include: working with planning departments to increase enabling policy and zoning for economic drivers such as farmers’ markets, on-farm processing, food hubs, and urban agriculture; working with economic development and tourism departments to develop regional branding and related tools such as Buy Local maps; and working with the province to reduce red tape and provide “one stop” regulatory resources.

But how do local food and farm enterprises contribute to the bottom line for regional economies?” Read more…

Public Health Heroes

“Harvest Haliburton initiated a Community Food Assessment Steering Committee to conduct a food assessment to inform long-term planning and action for a sustainable food system, and they provide a great tool-kit for municipalities advising them on actions they can take to improve community food security.” Read more…

New Resource: Rationale & Best Practices

This detailed resource is designed to help good food advocates and local decision-makers in making the case for healthy, ecological, equitable and financially viable food systems by providing key facts and links to further research. It also provides innovative examples of local leadership in Ontario and elsewhere to demonstrate what policies and practices can be adapted for different communities. Explore the sections by theme below:

• Economic Rationale and Examples
• Social Rationale and Examples
• Environmental Rationale and Examples
• Collaboration Rationale and Examples

 

Stay tuned for more information about the Vote ON Food & Farming wrap-up as we collect details from the Local Food Champions!