Community Food Security Rosie Kadwell, Public Health Dietitian

Community Food Security Definition Root Causes How to address Community Food Insecurity HKPR District Health Unit involvement Haliburton County Community Food Assessment

Food Security Everyone in the community has access to  Safe food  Personally/Culturally acceptable  Nutritious

Community Food Security Everyone in the community has access to  Safe food  Personally/Culturally acceptable  Nutritious Sustainable Food System  Healthy choices  Community self-reliance  Social Justice  Equal access for everyone

Food System

A healthy sustainable food system focuses on: Local seasonal foods Health of the population Building communities Local economic development Supporting local producers, processors, distributors and retailers Sustainable Food Systems

Land Environmental Degradation Soil Erosion/Loss Overproduction Financial Viability Loss of Agricultural Land Food System Assessment, Planning, Action & Policy Production Skill Loss Pesticides & Fertilizers Climate Globalization Greenhouse Gas Emissions Fossil Fuels & Peak Oil Food Disruption Vulnerability Food Supply Chain vs. Web Packaging Processing Distribution Pollution Infrastructure Safety Consumer-Producer barriers (conflicting regulations) Business Costs Energy-dense foods Buying Selling Rising Food Prices Manufacturing Claims/Menu Labels Hunger Food Banks Food Deserts Access Consumption Waste Poverty Social Isolation Food Insecurity Nutrition Disease Skill Loss Education Overconsumption Excess Packaging Infrastructure Recovery Transportation & Storage Land value/speculation Development Complexity of the Food System Note: Based on work by Jennifer Parker (UofT) for the City of Hamilton in 2013

Environmental Health Economic Vitality Social Equity and Human Health Food consumption Food production Food processing, distribution and marketing

Lack of Basic Income Affordable Housing Affordable Day Care Access to Healthy Food Local Food Production Infrastructure to Support Local Food Food Policies Causes of Community Food Insecurity

Do we live in Communities that are Food Secure or Insecure?

Creating Food Secure Communities

HKPR Community Nutrition Team What are we doing? Involved in all aspects of the Community Food Security Continuum

Community Food Assessment (CFA) “A CFA is a powerful way to tell the story of what is happening with food in a community, and to mobilize efforts to improve the food system. Through such assessments, diverse stakeholders work together to research local food system, share findings, and implement changes based on their findings & recommendations.” Community Food System Assessment Washington State University Extension Service

Prior to CFA, work will need to focus on diverse stakeholders work together Educate Key Stakeholders & Decision Makers Collaborative Process Build Partnerships Engage Community Members Cultivate Trust Establish a CFA Steering Committee pride & ownership

January 2014 Recruiting CFA Steering Committee

 Food Production and Consumption  Food Access  Municipal Policy Planning Spring 2014 Assessment Priorities

Fall Winter 2015 Working Groups – Food Production and Consumption Little quantitative data Discovered that official stats and reports did not accurately reflect our local farming activity

Qualitative Approach – key informant interviews Interviewed past and present local food producers - listened to their stories, challenges and successes Interviewed grocery stores, restaurants and farmers market vendors Fall Winter 2015 Working Groups – Food Production and Consumption

Researcher and GIS consultant Survey of 56 food business or programs Develop Data Base Food access point mapping Map Deprivation Index Analysis, Recommendations Fall Winter 2015 Working Groups – Food Access

Hired Consultant with Land Use Planning expertise Reviewed OP Reviewed OP with similar features i.e. rural, lack prime agricultural lands, seasonal tourism major economic base Fall Winter 2015 Working Groups – Municipal Planning/Policy

Environmental scan Interviews with key stakeholders Set priorities around food systems Fall Winter 2015 Working Groups – Municipal Planning/Policy

Spring & Summer 2015 Completed Food and Official Plan Report Presentations to County Council and Dysart et al Finalizing the other two reports

Fall 2015 – Winter 2016 Share our findings with community Move forward with recommendations and recruit more community members Seek new funding source

Our Accomplishments Educate Key Stakeholders and Decision Makers 20+ key stakeholders were educated on importance of community food security planning and conducting CFA All municipalities were engaged in the CFA process Interest from County Planner & County Tourism Director

Our Accomplishments Collaborative Process All CFA decisions were made in a collaborative fashion “ Working together collaboratively changes us from isolated units into one voice; it breaks down barriers and made us more effective”

Accomplishments Built Partnerships Developed strong partnerships with key stakeholders “It strengthened those of us who care about food security and sustainability to work closely with one another - especially working with Municipal Councilors and staff - we have the chance to influence municipal planning in a really important way.”

"Being part of the CFA project has not only given my business an opportunity to develop as a social enterprise, but more importantly, it has offered a wider perspective of food issues through working with fellow stakeholders." Feedback on Collaboration and Partnership

Community Food Security

Thank-you