Agri-food sector working along value chain to develop National Food Strategy
OTTAWA - The Canadian Federation of Agriculture is working with representatives from all parts of the agri-food sector -- from producers to consumers -- to develop a long-term National Food Strategy, an overarching vision for our Canadian food system for the next 15 years.
"All Canadians should have access to affordable, nutritious, and safe food, and the National Food Strategy aims to realize this goal," said Garnet Etsell, CFA 1st Vice President and Co-Chair of the NFS Working Group. "We recognize that our food system is deeply integrated into Canadians' socio-economic well-being and therefore we need a food strategy that takes all of these aspects into account."
The importance of sector-wide participation in a National Food Strategy was highlighted recently in a series of in-depth reports by the Ontario-based Metcalf Foundation. Foundation President Sandi Houston rightly points out that "food is a fundamental human concern central to our health, economy and environment and yet the system we have built around it is complex, rigid and opaque."
"At present we have a complex and often disjointed network of agriculture and food related policies that do not adequately foster long-term sustainability for the agri-food sector. The world's population is expected to double by 2050, climate change will affect production patterns, and farmers are facing unprecedented economic challenges - all of these issues have major implications for the future of our food supply and need to be addressed," said Neil Currie, General Manager of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and Co-Chair of the NFS Working Group.
Later this month, agri-food stakeholders working on the NFS will take part in an inaugural consultation to exchange ideas and develop the foundation on which an action plan will be based.<./p>
"We are committed to working together to build consensus as we develop guiding principles for the long-term," added Etsell. "We understand that a food strategy will be neither effective nor sustainable unless it encompasses the needs and interests of all players along the value chain."
About the Canadian Federation of Agriculture
Founded in 1935 to provide Canada's farmers with a single voice in Ottawa, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is the country's largest farmers' organization. Its members include provincial general farm organizations, national and inter-provincial commodity organizations, and cooperatives from every province. Through its members, CFA represents over 200,000 Canadian farmers and farm families.
