““Every year the planet loses an Every year the planet loses an area the size of Scotland to area the size of Scotland to

ererosion and urban sprawl. At the osion and urban sprawl. At the same time we add 70 million same time we add 70 million

people to the planet’s population.”people to the planet’s population.”Ronald Wright, Ronald Wright,

CBC Massey Lecture Series, 2004CBC Massey Lecture Series, 2004

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Food Production and Sustainability:

A Planners Perspective

Wayne CaldwellFebruary, 2009

University of GuelphOntario Professional Planners Institute

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Healthy Communities, Sustainable Communities

OPPI has prepared a paper that will help to make our communities healthier and more sustainable.

Our on-going work has us considering the linkages between

planning, food production and sustainabilty

How is agriculture in Ontario different today than it was a generation or two ago?

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Year (1974-2008)

Annual Corn Price (Chicago) vs. 1974 Corn Price Adjusted for Inflation

1974 corn price adjusted for inflation

1974 1980 1990 2000

Annual Corn Price (actual dollars)

(U.S. price for corn adjusted by the Cdn CPI)

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Strategies Farmers Pursue to Remain Viable

• Get larger• Specialize• Diversify• Value added• Adapt, adapt,

adapt• Other…

Local food production needs

Local Food Production needs to be “viable” from a producer perspective.

Producers will continue to remind planners and government about this reality.

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Why is local food important from a Planner’s perspective?

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Why is local food important from alPHa’s perspective?

Local Food and Planning

Local food addresses broader social, economic and environmental issues. These issues are related to land use, health, employment, climate change, greenhouse gas, etc…..

Local Food andHealthy Communities

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Planning and Agriculture

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Also broader connections with the Rural Community

Why Preserve Agricultural Land?Why Preserve Agricultural Land?

• food production• food security• agriculture in the

economy• stewardship and

amenity of the countryside

• a resource for future generations

• local food potential12

So… what does local food mean

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While there is a cultural battle for “local food” there is a land use

battle for local agriculture in many near urban locations…

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Thanks – Questions?