There is something special about the tendency to gather around food. The relationships we have with food are rooted in the connections that we have with the people that we love, and the sense of nostalgia that comes with the many memories that surround the meals that we eat. Over time, our relationship with food has evolved and become more meaningful in our lives. Still, the fact that food emerges from tradition is not to be dismissed. These traditions are a way to keep us connected to our identities, and food offers a sense of unity which can bring both similar and diverse backgrounds together.

What about food production?

The feeling of making a meal from scratch can be one of the most rewarding, joyful experiences. What’s even better than sharing a homemade meal? Growing the food that contributes to these meals! Can you picture it? The simplicity of harvesting good food, the hard work that goes into preparing a vibrant meal in your own kitchen, and the rich sense of comfort that comes with the familiar voices in the nearby room, waiting for the meal. The whole process of bringing food from garden to table encourages us to slow down and appreciate what we have around us. As mentioned earlier, food tends to mean the most when it is shared with those we consider our family and friends. Recently, it seems as though TV dinners, ready-made meals, and eating on the fly has become the norm in our busy lives. The fast paced nature of our society has not only taken over what we eat, but also HOW we eat. Now it is important to bring those elements of tradition and community back into our relationship with food, and recognize the meaning that this has.

Connecting

Food production allows our ‘families’ to grow; it ties together people from all walks of life. In particular, sustainable food systems create a network of connections by reaching out to people through something that typically brings familiarity. Food production keeps networks local, and cultivates a sense of pride surrounding both what has been produced and how it spreads to positively impact individual lives. Most importantly, local food production creates this community where individuals get to shine in relation to one another. It seems like there is a reciprocal relationship between food production and community. As individuals get to grow food with the people they care about, this increases their excitement about the ability and concept of local food production. As food production increases, more opportunities are created to experience that sense of nostalgia, tradition, and passion with others.

What can we do?

Life is busy. That’s a fact. But food production does not have to be a long, extensive process. Engaging with local food movements, making a few homemade meals a week, checking out a local farmers market, or starting up a small garden are a few simple ways to build our relationships with food and, as a result, build our relationships with the community.

Originally published at thegrowcer.ca.

Communities: Connecting Us Through Food Production was originally published in The Growcer Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

There are so many issues in the world that scream for attention from our radios, newspapers, and televisions. They compete for recognition in an environment saturated with problems that need solving. Every single one, in its own way, deserves its moment in the spotlight. With that said, for many of us living in North America, very few of the world’s big problems affect us directly. It is difficult to empathize because we cannot truly understand what it is like to be in that situation.

Unlike other global issues, food insecurity stands apart. It is often relatable. As mentioned by Josette Sheeran in her Ted Talk, “most of us do not have to go very far back in [our own] family history… to remember an experience of hunger”. A problem that strikes so close to home for so many should create an unstoppable movement. So why is it that it’s still largely swept under the rug? We don’t necessarily think about vast numbers of hungry people in our own countries and communities. This can be majorly attributed to vast misconceptions about food insecurity. Food security is officially defined as: “when people have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food that meets their dietary needs”.

What does this mean? We think of a lack of food as a symptom of food production, such as in climates that cannot grow food, but this is not always the case. Food insecurity is more frequently a result of insufficient access to food or the means to purchase it. By directly targeting these root causes, we are more likely to make progress. There is a proverb that comes to mind specifically when considering the issues surrounding food insecurity, specifically in Northern Canada where food insecurity is more acute:

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” — Chinese Proverb

In a broad sense, it accurately represents the current and future solutions to fighting against the challenges that food insecure households and communities face on a daily basis.

Current Solutions: Giving A Man A Fish

The man needs to eat, so he will be grateful to anyone who offers him a fish, no matter the size or condition it is gifted in. If he is given a fish every day for the rest of his life, he will accept this system as a secure way of life. However, if he is not given this fish for a few days, he begins to feel uncomfortable and slightly insecure. If the fish is withheld for longer, say a few weeks, the man may become desperate or even starve.

This is representative of the overall approach to food security in Northern Canada today. Systems and programs are in place to ship food up using various channels, such as rail, air, and boats. When this is working well, no one is concerned. Food shipments arrive on time to the communities that need them. However, severe weather is common, and therefore such shipping methods are often delayed or cut off altogether. Churchill, Manitoba is a case in point. Last spring, the only rail line to the town was damaged in a flood; a link that residents have described as “a lifeline”. The community now relies on air transport to bring in their necessary supplies, which has led to a drastic increase in prices and a feeling of hopelessness. This, unfortunately, is one of many similar cases in the North. It takes a feeling of insecurity to shed light on an inefficient food system.

These short-term solutions are not necessarily bad in a temporary situation. They alleviate hunger short-term and prevent residents from starving. But is this approach sustainable or secure? In many cases, it has led to incredibly high food prices, even after government subsidies, and widespread food insecurity. When these systems do collapse, both in the form of late shipments or, more frequently, a simple inability to afford the cost of food brought in, there are some emergency responses that have been set in place by non-government organizations.

These include (though not limited to) food banks and emergency food shipments from concerned neighbours, such as one that left Thunder Bay this past December. The community sent over 18,000 kg of food to six remote First Nation communities, after collecting from local grocery stores, suppliers and their own food drives. Once again, these support systems and safety nets are an important part of the current system and are not inherently a bad thing, but they should not become the norm and replace more long-term, sustainable solutions.

Necessary Changes: Teaching A Man to Fish

Continuing with our analogy, if the man is taught to fish, he no longer relies on an outside source for his meals. He may also be able to pass along this knowledge to his friends, family and community. These are the solutions we need to focus on to create real, sustainable food security in Northern Canada. Possibly the first and most important way to do this is to recognize that change is necessary, even in communities that may not have had shipping or price surges just yet.

Beyond this, it is crucial to recognize that, while there are evident similarities in the situation, every town is different. “One size fits all” solutions will not be as effective as regionalized consideration and action because each community has its own traditions, needs, skills, and resources. With this understanding established, a broad, two-pronged approach can be considered.

The first step involves creating a new system of independence and self-reliance. Currently, the government spends vast amounts of money on subsidies in order to make imported food semi-affordable. Even with this aid, many still struggle to make ends meet in their homes. Instead of this, Action Canada suggests that we “increase and better target subsidies for hunters to ensure they have the capital equipment required to hunt”, which in turn will allow them to both feed and pass traditional knowledge on to their communities. This is an example of a sustainable and secure food system that allows towns access to healthy, nutritious, and culturally appropriate meals. Not to mention the fact that there are other benefits to such an approach, such as the preservation of cultural knowledge and improved mental health outcomes from being out on the land.

The second step has more to do with education. More focus is needed on teaching individuals about the importance of making healthy and local food choices — and while the government can play a role, they can’t do it alone. For example, programs are needed that promote traditional country food and recipes in Aboriginal communities would help nudge purchases away from the cheap, processed food available in stores. The exact definition of country food varies between regions, but overall it’s widely accepted that it’s “high in protein and nutrients, low in salt, sugar and almost without refined carbohydrates”. Recipes like these is a part of traditional knowledge that has been passed from generation to generation, but now it is endangered. An educational shift as simple as this can vastly improve the health and food security of whole communities while restoring customs that are centuries old.

Feeding Tomorrow

These are just a few solutions to a major issue. Food security overall is a very complex issue, and it is important to recognize that one idea alone will not address everything. What is needed is a network of solutions and resources that intertwine to create a new, comprehensive approach to the food systems in Northern Canada. It’s time to teach the man to fish and change not only his life but that of his family and community for generations to come.

Originally published at thegrowcer.ca.

Feeding Tomorrow: Creating Northern Food Security was originally published in The Growcer Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In life, some of us are dealt cards that wouldn’t technically be classified as a “good hand”, while others have gotten a bit luckier. There’s not a whole lot that can be done about this situational lottery, yet our circumstances seep into and affect every aspect of our lives. Time and time again, we hear the saying “we are the product of our environment”. This frequently rings true for many issues in the lives of Canadians, including poor health.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the social determinants of health are a complex set of factors or conditions which play a huge role in determining the level of health of every Canadian. These determinants have been extensively researched and are individual and collective factors which affect the health status of both individuals and populations. The social determinants of health can be broken down into the socioeconomic environment and physical environment (both natural and human-built). The socioeconomic environment includes income and social status, social support networks, education, employment and working conditions, and social environments (societal values and rules). The physical environment includes healthy childhood development, personal health practices, individual capacity and coping skills, biology and genetics, health services, gender, and culture.

Let’s break down these determinants and see how they actually affect and influence the overall health and well-being of Canadians.

Income and Social Status

Health tends to improve as income and social status increase. This can be linked to how income can help improve living conditions, from housing to nutritious food. According to statistics from PHAC, Canadians of low-income status are more likely to die earlier and to suffer more illnesses than Canadians with higher incomes, regardless of their age, sex, race, and place of residence.

Social Support Networks

Social support networks help people solve their problems and control life circumstances. Having support from families, friends, and communities are linked to better health and the care, respect, and sense of satisfaction from relationships also help protect against health issues.

Education

Education fundamentally provides individuals with the knowledge and skills to solve problems and take control of their life circumstances. It also increases the opportunity for a job, income security, and job satisfaction.

Employment and Working Conditions

People who have control of their work circumstances and have less stress or safer work often live longer in comparison to those who do not have control of their work environment and its associated risk and stress. Furthermore, unemployment and underemployment are strongly correlated with poorer health; this could be again linked to lower levels of income as well. Paid employment, in addition to money, provides a sense of purpose, identity, social contacts, and opportunities for personal growth.

Social Environments (Societal Values and Rules)

The social environment refers to concepts beyond community and also includes the strength of social networks within any perspective (community, province, country, region, or even organizations and institutions). A social environment can help people to share resources together and build attachments with each other. The values, norms, social stability, diversity, and cohesiveness can definitely help avoid potential risk to good health.

Physical Environment

The physical environment, itself plays a vital role in overall health. Especially, contaminants in the air, water, food, and soil, which can negatively affect health. These negative health effects can vary from cancer, birth defects, and other illnesses.

Healthy Childhood Development

There is such strong evidence that early child development is a powerful determinant of health. The early experiences weigh heavily on brain development, school readiness, and health play a great role. Furthermore, this early development can again be affected by the physical environment (housing and neighbourhood), family income, parent’s education, access to nutritious food, genetics, and access to health care.

Personal Health Practices

Once again, this social determinant can be interrelated with other factors such as income, education, employment, culture, and social environment. Our personal health practices and coping skills allow us to prevent diseases and promote health and wellbeing. Our lifestyle and choices are again influenced by many of the other social determinants, as well.

Biology and Genetics

Our basic biology and genetic endowment also play a huge role in our overall health. We all inherit different predispositions to particular diseases and health issues.

Health Services

The availability and accessibility of health services allow to promote health, prevent disease, and restore health and function.

Gender

It is evident that different genders have different life expectancies, predisposition to different disease and conditions at different ages. This can also be interrelated to other social determinants, such as income, social environments, biology, and physical environment.

Culture

A person’s upbringing, background, traditions, customs, and the beliefs of their family or community; play a huge role on overall health because it influences how one may think, feel, act, and value.

What’s the Solution?

To be honest, there is no simple solution and the experts have yet to figure it all out… However, it is pretty evident that simple, one facet approaches will not provide sustainable solutions but merely be a “band-aid” solution. Simply subsidizing health foods or increasing financial assistance will not make Canadians healthier! Increasing the availability or affordability will definitely help a portion of the population that values or understands the importance of proper nutrition, but what about the rest of the population who is not aware, interested, or educated about healthy eating? This is what makes the issue so complex. However, it also supports the notion that different initiatives and programs need to focus on specific objectives, rather than a complex metrics like improving the overall health of ALL Canadians.

These specific objectives would have to consider all the social determinants of health and build strategies that cater to working around these determinants. However, we would have to accept that the program itself will not improve the overall health of their users directly. Instead, it would cater to helping them live “better” in their environment and by providing them essential skills to overcome certain obstacles. For example, a local community food non-profit could focus on the nutrition education piece and also help their members get access to healthier food options through a “Good Food Box” program. These efforts would be carried out with the understanding that the program itself cannot improve the income, social status, employment status of their users. This is where the government and policymakers need to step in.

The Bottom Line

Sadly, many Canadians struggle to make ends meet, approximately 4.8 million lived in a low‑income household in 2015, of which 1.2 million were children, and these statistics have cyclical consequences that carry over generationally. As a fellow Canadians, we need to stop validating the idea that poor health and poverty are merely outcomes of poor decision making. Our country must understand and accept that we all have circumstances that go beyond what can initially be seen. Through this, we can make concrete steps towards removing “bad luck” from the health equation.

Originally published at thegrowcer.ca.

Social Determinants of Health: What Makes Canadians Sick? was originally published in The Growcer Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

If you’re anything like some of us, the speed of technological change today makes your head spin! From faster cars and safer homes to the newest generation of iPhone (which, I suppose doesn’t change that much…), it’s no surprise that we can’t keep up with every trend. In the Agriculture Technology industry alone, there are constant advancements and gadgets that want to help us grow more, grow faster, and grow better. With that said, the use of hydroponics really isn’t that new.

So why don’t we know more about it?

The reality is that if you haven’t worked in the AgTech sector, you may have never heard the word “hydroponics” before this. We aren’t blaming you! Traditional soil growing (both on farms and in greenhouses) is still the most prevalent form of produce output. However, as the local food movement gains momentum in Canada and abroad, new ways to grow are being developed.

Understanding Hydroponics

Hydroponics, by definition, is a method of growing plants in a water based, nutrient rich solution instead of soil. The desired plants are suspended above this flowing water while their roots dip down to get what they need, as seen on the right. This style of production offers many benefits to the farmers, both financially and environmentally. One of the major benefits of hydroponics is the reduced water use.

Because plants are grown in a closed system without the use of soil, less water is lost to evaporation before it’s used by plants. All water added to the system is readily available to be sucked up by the roots to nourish plant growth. In addition, most hydroponic set-ups “recycle” their water, meaning that the same water can circulate through the system using a series of sensors and pumps. Due to this, hydroponic systems on average save between 90–95% more water than traditional soil farms. To put these savings into perspective, approximately 70% of the world’s fresh water is used to support agriculture! Not only does this mean huge financial savings for the growers, but it is also an important environmental point in an increasingly water-poor world.

Control Is Everything

The set-ups are referred to as “farms”, however a few minutes inside one will remind you more of a plant lab than the dirty, salt-of-the-earth farms that most of us are familiar with. These modern “farms” are part of what makes hydroponic growing so successful and valuable. The vast majority of these systems operate indoors in greenhouses, indoor farms or containerized growing systems. While it is not a direct criteria for hydroponics, most set-ups are fully outfitted with sensors and other important plant monitors. In order to achieve optimal growth, the nutrient balance and pH of the water that is circulated to the plants must be precise. These plants cannot stretch their root systems to find what they need to grow, so they rely on a delicate balance of environmental factors for survival.

A containerized growing system in Churchill, MB in the middle of winter.

In smaller “farms”, such as the containerized one shown to the left, factors such as humidity and CO2 concentration must also be carefully watched to ensure healthy plant growth. Within each system, be it as large as a warehouse or as small as a shipping container, is an environment that has been specifically calibrated to maintain ideal environmental conditions that will promote maximum growth. With these systems, external environmental concerns are entirely eliminated. There are no critters or adverse weather conditions inside these farms, so farmers needn’t fear some of their traditional enemies. As the technology used in each system continues to improve, it will only become easier to fully automate and monitor the environment within their growing units!

Redefining Local

Hydroponic technology is helping bring farming to the local level. These may seem like miniature farms, but they produce enough leafy greens to sell to local grocery stores, restaurants, or directly to customers. Because systems don’t require acres of open land to grow, they can be relocated to the heart of cities and travel a much shorter distance to reach customers. Some indoor farms are located in warehouses, while smaller units can be found attached to universities or behind restaurants. Even in the arctic conditions of Northern Canada, fresh veggies are growing happily in tailor-made hydroponic environments!

With this AgTech trend slowly but surely turning into a movement, you might just find yourself living next to a “farm” sometime very soon!

#growingmyths

Just in case you missed them, we collected some of our #growingmyths tweets below. The rest can be found on our Twitter!

Myth: Hydroponic growing is difficult and very time consuming…

Fact: With an automated system, each unit only requires 12–15 hours of labour per week!

Myth: Plants need soil to grow…

Fact: They don’t need soil, as long as the required elements for survival and growth are present!

Myth: All water will produce the same quality of plants…

Fact: Water used in hydroponic systems should be slightly acidic and full of nutrients!

Originally published at thegrowcer.ca.

Hydroponics: Not Your Grandma’s Garden was originally published in The Growcer Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Canada is many things. We are postcard-worthy scenery and an abundance of natural resources. We are peace, hope, accepting, diverse, and opportunity. We are painfully nice and friendly to a fault. But we are also home to the “highest documented rate of food insecurity for any Indigenous population living in a developed country”.

Yes, you read that right.

At the end of a list of the most stereotypically Canadian identifiers sits a terrifying statistic. It feels awkward, doesn’t it? Like it doesn’t belong. But we promise you, it’s there. As most Canadians go about their days, it is easy to forget the daily realities of our Northern neighbours, where arctic conditions make survival a complex, daily battle for many communities.

Understanding The Problem

This is not meant to be a critique on those of us living in southern provinces. In reality, it is quite likely that many people are mostly unaware of the severity and desperation of an issue that has developed right under our noses. While this isn’t an excuse, per say, it is an excellent place to start learning. We are far too connected to one another to ignore the struggles of our fellow Canadians, so we must equip ourselves with the information needed to help. I encourage you, instead of getting defensive, to read this article from the perspective of a neighbour, parent, friend or loved one; with the view that all Canadian communities are your own. Temporarily set your biases aside and listen with compassion and an open mind.

The concept of food insecurity is not unique to the territories or to remote communities in Canada. However in Nunavut, “inadequate or uncertain access to an acceptable amount and quality of healthy food” becomes a matter of life-or-death for whole communities. According to Food Secure Canada, a third of the Nunavut population, or almost 11,800 people, report being food insecure every month. Measures of food insecurity sit along a spectrum, from a fear of running out of food all the way to the inability to eat entirely.

There are a number of factors that contribute to food insecurity, so for simplicity’s sake, here are the “3 As” as they relate to Nunavut:

Accessibility

The challenges facing northern communities are not new by any means, however this difficult way of life has not always existed. Communities that relied on subsistence lifestyles to support themselves are now facing mounting barriers to continuing their traditional lifestyles, such as hunting restrictions, land regulations, and costs of exploration. Additionally, methods of hunting, gathering, and crop production are being lost as traditional knowledge struggles to be kept alive and passed onto the next generation. Through the combination of these, and many other issues that have arisen over the decades, Aboriginal communities have limited traditional food that historically would have sustained them.

Under today’s system, many communities are reliant on winter roads, shipping routes or airlines to bring in the necessary supplies and food that they cannot cultivate on their own. Unlike a connected city like Toronto or Vancouver, this is a difficult, expensive and risky task. Shortages or outages are common in general stores across every province and territory, leave people to rely on each other to stretch their food provisions until the next shipment.

Availability

The complications of feeding full families only continues after delivery. For many communities, bare shelves in a general store is a common sight. Food being shipped up North, regardless of transportation method, can take weeks to arrive. This delay can often cause fresh products, such as fruit and veggies, to go off in transit. Even once these items make it to their final destination, they are often bruised, wilted or spoiled entirely. The availability of good, fresh produce is almost non-existent.

Due to this, there is also a frequent lack of food within households, meaning that a significant portion of the adult population will skip one or more meals a day to ensure children and elders are fed. Even with these sacrifices, a large portion of children also miss one or more meals a day. While some children’s diets are supplemented by breakfast or lunch programs at their schools, this intervention alone is not a long term solution to the availability of food for these communities.

Affordability

Assuming the communities have overcome both the issues of accessibility and availability of food for their families, it is likely that they run into another common cause of food insecurity. The cost of food, especially produce, is usually more expensive in northern Canada for a variety of reasons, namely the high cost of shipping, high spoilage, and scarcity of stock. This makes it very challenging to support a family at all, especially when a household in on a strict budget. There are frequently no viable alternatives to shopping at the general store, as hunting and gathering for themselves requires resources and finances that many families do not have.

Moving Forward

Now that we, as a country, are becoming more aware of the challenges that our neighbours are facing, it is important not to turn a blind eye. While it may become easy to forget the living conditions of people that most Canadians will never see, ignorance is not an option. We need to face all the facts about Canada, not just comfortable ones, to address this food security crisis head on. Canada is so many things, but being indifferent to suffering is not one of them.

Originally published at thegrowcer.ca.

3 As: Food Insecurity in Northern Canada was originally published in The Growcer Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

If you’re a part of the adult (or even teenage) population in North America, we can almost guarantee that you’ve heard these words:

“Actually, do you have low calorie ice cream? I’m eating healthy this month…”

And how many times have you thought that such a magical product sounds too good to be true. How is it possible that ice cream can be healthy? Herein lies the problem in reasoning that so many of us suffer from. The concept of equating a low calorie count to a healthy diet is not only incorrect, but dangerously misleading.

Over the last decade, we have been increasingly bombarded with new health and food products and, in the recent years, we have jumped on this trend to “market” the specific caloric values of the foods we consume. From flashy marketing on packaged products to fast food menus, calories have become the centre of attention with regards to labeling. By giving so much importance to the caloric value of food, we have indirectly pushed people to assume that all calories are the same. With high hopes, we expect that by simply showing the calorie counts, it will promote healthier choices. Sadly, both of these concepts were debunked by experts years ago.

It Does Matter

Let us be straightforward and honest: yes, calories do matter, but it should never be the “go to” or the only factor for why you choose to eat one food. Food is more just than calories! Our bodies need specific micronutrients and macronutrients, to be “healthy” and fully functional.

Micronutrients: nutrients that are required in very little amounts, and they are essentially vitamins and minerals. All the vitamins and minerals have different roles which are vital for your health.

Macronutrients: nutrients that are required in larger amounts because they provide energy. Hence why a “calorie” is a unit of energy.

So, our bodies get energy from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins; and each of these macronutrients is broken down differently, affects our bodies differently, and provide different amounts of energy. For instance, fat is broken down into separate compounds for our body to store and use. It also provides more energy (9 calories per gram consumed), while carbohydrates provide less energy (4 calories per gram consumed). Meaning if you consume 20 grams of fat, you’re getting around 180 calories and it would take 45 grams of carbohydrates to provide with 180 calories. If we take a look at two different meals with the same caloric value, it is possible that they differ in quantity but they differ also in quality. Not only does the low energy density meal provide more quantity, but it also offers more quality nutrients that your body can absorb and utilize efficiently.

Not Created Equal

Furthermore, it is vital to understand that not all carbohydrates, fats, or proteins are created equally; just like all calories are not the same. Meaning carbohydrates coming from ice cream versus an apple have different effects on your body; physiologically, psychologically, and hormonally, because they differ in chemical composition.
So why does having calories make it harder to make healthier choices? Simply looking at calories can be misleading and consumers can possibly avoid quality nutritious foods because they have more calories. In addition, the folks who would truly benefit from nutritional information when eating out, are not interested or are being misled.

Let’s Be Honest…

This step to make caloric information available is not a real solution to overcome issues of obesity and chronic disease. It’s merely a trend, especially when no preliminary efforts are being made to educate the mass about the basics of proper nutrition. So go ahead and get yourself that creamy, delicious treat occasionally; food is more than just a source of nutrients. We have many emotional, social, and cultural ties to the food we eat! So keep your guilty pleasures, no one is judging! But keep in mind that longterm health is promoted by a well-balanced diet, all year-round, which means incorporating quality foods and not just eating “low” caloric foods.

Originally published at thegrowcer.ca.

Calories: Health Beyond Numbers was originally published in The Growcer Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.