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Salt Spring Island Community Food Security Project-March 2006

SSI Community Services is hosting a new project that will lead the development of a coherent long-term food security strategy for Salt Spring Island. We are working in partnership with a number of key stakeholder groups including Island Natural Growers, the Gulf Islands Coalition for Children and Families, the Earth Festival Society/Community Energy Strategy, Salt Springers for Safe Food and the Vancouver Island Health Authority.

The plan will bridge the full spectrum of our food system including agriculture and food production, food distribution, food affordability and individual and family access to good quality, nutritious food. From this comprehensive perspective we can build consensus around the food security priorities for our community.

We have two short-term objectives for the project over the next two months:

• Document and assess current community capacities to respond to food security needs and issues. What is our food self-reliance in terms of local food production, energy use and challenges, food affordability, access to good quality, nutritious food by vulnerable groups in our community, emergency food readiness, and so on? The information we gather will form the basis for increasing public awareness about the potential for a food security plan for our community.

• Facilitate discussions among key reference groups in the community, including representatives from the agricultural, education, social services, business, health and local government sectors. Our purpose is to build on the work that various groups are already doing and to provide a vehicle for tying the pieces together. Through a process of collaboration we hope to build a framework for community food security action.

The Vancouver Island Health Authority has provided funding from the Community Food Action Initiative for this stage of our initiative. Their intent is to support and enhance sustainable community food systems throughout the region.

contact Pat Reichert, Project Researcher at 537-4282

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