Mission:
The Food Action Society of the North Okanagan is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to improve food security by cultivating a more sustainable regional food system through programs, projects, education, policy, and community engagement.

Cultivating a healthy, sustainable food system for our community
Food Security and our Local Food System:

What is Food Security?

Food Security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy lifestyle. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO, 1996).

What is a Local Food System:
A local or regional food system describes the proximal area where food is produced, distributed, consumed and where food waste is disposed.

Individual and household food security is threatened by high housing costs and low vacancy rates, higher costs of healthy fresh food, and access to transportation, for example. This is important because an estimated 17% of British Columbians do not have financial access to the quality or quantity of healthy foods they need or desire. (Ledrou and Gervais, 2005)

Community Food Security takes a food system approach and looks at food security in a broader context. It considers whether at the regional or municipal level, we are able to produce, distribute, and process food for local consumption. This means securing family farms and agricultural land, accessing local products through direct marketing, or learning how to grow a garden and preserve the surplus when products are in season. It also considers the needs of lower income individuals and families in accessing fresh and local foods.

What will the Food Action Society be involved in? Exciting developments planned for 2009

The Food Action Society of the North Okanagan has recently determined an exciting direction for 2009. In order to achieve these objectives, you are invited to become a member and join a committee of interest!

1. Fresh Food Initiative - aims to improve healthy food access through community food programs.

The Good Food Box (www.goodfoodbox.net) is a fruit and vegetable cooperative, offering high quality produce monthly for about half the retail cost for hundreds of families and individuals in the North Okanagan. The Good Food Box sources from local growers and retailers and is open to everyone in the community. Because it relies on volunteers and donations to operate, community support is needed.

Gleaning surplus backyard fruits and vegetables also provides a degree of food security and self-reliance. The program is usually required a paid coordinator and teams of volunteer pickers. Fruit and vegetables gleaned are distributed 3 ways - 1/3 to the pickers, 1/3 to the donors, and 1/3 to charity. Often kitchens are set up to allow for food processing and preservation when surplus is picked. The Food Action Society will be actively working with community partners to see that this program offered again in the near future. Committee members, volunteers are needed to get this program off the ground again.

2. Urban Agriculture Initiative - aims to increase healthy food access through urban and home food production

Community Garden Network - The plan is to see a number of urban and community garden opportunities at the neighborhood level to build on the successful Community/School garden in east hill. There is currently a project underway to identify an inventory of future sites and an action plan to encourage implementation. The Society will support this direction by provided web resource links, workshops/education opportunities, and funding administration for garden committees. It is hopeful that a funded coordinator position may be created to assist with this process.

Home Food Production - Household food security and skills are improved with home food production. Education, web-resources, and future workshops can be designed to encourage this healthy practice.

Backyard Sharing - The Society is investigating an online backyard sharing registry that will help link gardeners with unused or shared garden spaces.

3. Education, Advocacy, and Networking Initiative - aims to increase awareness through education, encourage local food consumption, and network and connect the producers with the consumers.

Community Education Evenings and films - This committee will plan a number of educational evenings for the community at large and for the general membership.

100 Mile Diet Campaign (IPE) This committee will be planning a campaign to coincide with the IPE theme this year. A building will available at the IPE site to host films, events, and displays.

Networking -Linking consumers with farmers and local products and services has been identified as an important way to encourage people to eat locally. A mapping project is being developed in partnership with UBC-O and some mapping models will be explored. It is hoped that resources to develop a local food directory will be a future outcome for this proposed committee.

Community Kitchens are also important to develop food security. In the North Okanagan, Community Kitchens are coordinated through Meridian Rehabilitation Consulting under contract to Interior health.