Something to chew on

The recent strike by workers in the Port of Montreal was a lesson, if anyone was smart enough to be paying attention.

Practically every single product you might find on store shelves in this province moves through this Port before it lands here.

A strike by the Port workers slowed down the movement of freight, but not for very long.

The dispute was over almost as soon as it started, and the containers full of toilet paper, fall fashions, electronics and household items were moving before store shelves on this end were starting to become bare.

More importantly, we didn’t suffer from food shortages because of the strike.

Outside of having to go without California strawberries for a couple of days, most of us were able to maintain our regular diets without having to resort to birch bark tea.

Hardship was averted; all breathed easy and it was life as usual.

It didn’t even prompt a serious discussion.

And that’s too bad.

The problem is, globalization has made us too dependent on long-haul transportation, and people like the Montreal Port Authority workers, for our daily bread.

We always will be dependent on that system for most of our products.

But when it comes to our food, we must improve our own ability to provide our sustenance.

This is not an idea that is unique, or crucial, to just Newfoundland and Labrador.

Just last week, a CBC radio feature talked of the movement towards turning vacant city lots into gardens, enabling people to grow their own food.

Those who study society, the economy and systems of supply contend that the future – as the price of oil increases – will necessitate the ability of securing food supplies from within a 50 to 100 km radius.

It means producing as much as you can close to and within the region where it’s needed.

It is possible to grow the food we need right here in this province.

However, to ensure it happens, governments – from federal to provincial to municipal – need to start seriously considering the importance of local agriculture.

Every town plan should include zoning for agriculture and food production.

The province needs to invest more in agricultural development; not just finances but in improved policies for land use that will make it possible for ideal agricultural land to be reserved for agriculture.

We need to invest in the technologies – from hydroponics and greenhouse development to ground source heat and wind power technologies – to help us grow our food in an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective manner.

We need to do something as simple as turning the thousands of pounds of fish waste into compost.

We need to start thinking constructively about local agriculture and start building an industry and system that will ensure a continuous food supply, regardless of strikes at the Port of Montreal, ferry problems or shortages of supplies elsewhere.

Simply put, in this age of globalization, we have to get back to the basics: developing and improving our own ability to produce our own food.

The recent strike by workers in the Port of Montreal was a lesson, if anyone was smart enough to be paying attention.

Practically every single product you might find on store shelves in this province moves through this Port before it lands here.

A strike by the Port workers slowed down the movement of freight, but not for very long.

The dispute was over almost as soon as it started, and the containers full of toilet paper, fall fashions, electronics and household items were moving before store shelves on this end were starting to become bare.

More importantly, we didn’t suffer from food shortages because of the strike.

Outside of having to go without California strawberries for a couple of days, most of us were able to maintain our regular diets without having to resort to birch bark tea.

Hardship was averted; all breathed easy and it was life as usual.

It didn’t even prompt a serious discussion.

And that’s too bad.

The problem is, globalization has made us too dependent on long-haul transportation, and people like the Montreal Port Authority workers, for our daily bread.

We always will be dependent on that system for most of our products.

But when it comes to our food, we must improve our own ability to provide our sustenance.

This is not an idea that is unique, or crucial, to just Newfoundland and Labrador.

Just last week, a CBC radio feature talked of the movement towards turning vacant city lots into gardens, enabling people to grow their own food.

Those who study society, the economy and systems of supply contend that the future – as the price of oil increases – will necessitate the ability of securing food supplies from within a 50 to 100 km radius.

It means producing as much as you can close to and within the region where it’s needed.

It is possible to grow the food we need right here in this province.

However, to ensure it happens, governments – from federal to provincial to municipal – need to start seriously considering the importance of local agriculture.

Every town plan should include zoning for agriculture and food production.

The province needs to invest more in agricultural development; not just finances but in improved policies for land use that will make it possible for ideal agricultural land to be reserved for agriculture.

We need to invest in the technologies – from hydroponics and greenhouse development to ground source heat and wind power technologies – to help us grow our food in an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective manner.

We need to do something as simple as turning the thousands of pounds of fish waste into compost.

We need to start thinking constructively about local agriculture and start building an industry and system that will ensure a continuous food supply, regardless of strikes at the Port of Montreal, ferry problems or shortages of supplies elsewhere.

Simply put, in this age of globalization, we have to get back to the basics: developing and improving our own ability to produce our own food.