For a Local Sustainable Food System

A Home-Grown Strategy for Ontario Agriculture

A new deal for farmers, a new relationship with consumers.

A draft paper by Wally Seccombe

Author’s Note

This is a draft text proposing far-reaching changes in the Ontario government’s food-system priorities from a long-distance export orientation to a focus on replacing imports with home-grown produce and raising farmers’ share of the retail food dollar.  I wrote it with the inspiration, ideas and encouragement of my colleagues at Everdale Environmental Learning Centre (where I serve as board chair) and the Toronto Food Policy Council (where I am a member).  While both organizations support a more local food system, no formal endorsement of the text was sought or is implied.

The Toronto Food Policy Council (TFPC) is circulating the report. 1 We welcome your input in order to make the final version as accurate and comprehensive as possible.  We hope the process will facilitate the creation of a consensus in Ontario among those who support a food system that is healthy for both humans and the environment while providing adequate incomes for farmers. Please feel free to circulate the paper as it stands, while respecting the fact that it is still a draft, not a finished text for publication.

Wally Seccombe (e-mail)