Why biofuels are tough to swallow
by DON GENOVA
It seems like every politician in Canada is trying to hop on the environmental bandwagon these days, making big announcements about policies that will lead us to healthier and happier lives. But as the wagon gets set to roll, it’s worth looking at what it’s carrying (aside from a few heaps of manure) and what’s inside its gas tank.
As you’ve probably noticed, the cost of food is going up, and that can make it harder for people to feed themselves. Not being able to afford good food will not make people healthy and happy. Why is the price of food going up? Well, I can’t go into the entire economics of our wacky food system here, but there are a few key factors, most of which tie into our insatiable desire to fuel our vehicles. When the price of oil goes up, the price of food goes up, because we transport so much of our food over such long distances.
Because of that need for fuel, more and more farmers are growing crops slated to become biofuels. Substituting fossil fuels with biofuels has even been mandated by the U.S. government, and the Canadian government has passed a bill that will ensure gasoline in Canada contains five per cent ethanol by 2010, and two per cent renewable fuel in diesel and heating oil by 2012.
Don’t get me wrong: I think the government should be taking steps to address pollution. But growing grains, corn, or beans for fuel instead of food just doesn’t make sense to me. It’s replacing an environmental problem with social security problems. What would make sense is to build more fuel-efficient vehicles, a more fuel-efficient food distribution system, and better transit systems to get us out of our cars. (As an aside, I’ve always wanted to stand at a downtown Vancouver intersection and ask the drivers of the SUVs stopped at the red light just how often they’ve used the four-wheel drive/off-road capabilities of their gas guzzlers.)
While rising wheat prices may be good for our prairie farmers, it isn’t without problems. We have already seen a drastic rise in the cost of flour used in our local bakeries. My local organic bakery, Mix, has had no choice but to pass the cost onto its customers, and has even taped an explanatory chart by the cash register showing the price hikes. It’s not uncommon now to pay $5 or $6 for a healthy loaf of bread. Some of us will be able to afford the increases, but for those on a budget, the challenge of eating healthy will be hard to meet.
There is one program out there sponsored by the provincial government that helps those most in need of healthy food. A pilot program involving farmers’ markets and low-income residents in Vancouver, Coquitlam, Courtenay, Kelowna, and Prince George has recently received a two-year extension. The Farmers’ Market Nutrition and Coupon Project (FMNCP) is the first of its kind in Canada. Qualifying low-income families in each community are given food coupons that can only be redeemed at local farmers’ markets.
But the program doesn’t stop at just doling out coupons. Some of the families don’t know how to get to a farmers’ market, let alone know what to buy when they get there, or how to cook the ingredients available. The program provides assistance in these areas, so that learning about the food is just as important as getting the food.
Project manager Anna Kirbyson passed on some of the good news stories from last year.
“In Vancouver, residents of the Downtown Eastside went on field trips organized by the Downtown [Eastside] Neighbourhood House to the West End Farmers Market. They bought fresh, healthy farm products that otherwise would be out of reach for them because of their limited budget. Sometimes they found out buying produce in season [at the farmers’ market] was actually cheaper than the supermarket. A number of vendors provided additional support to these families through offering double the value on the coupons.”
Kirbyson related another success story of a refugee family from the Collingwood Neighbourhood House in Renfrew that now plans weekly outings to the farmers’ market, and even lets the children use the coupons to purchase vegetables and fruits for the family’s meals.
I’ll report at a later date on some of the people going through this year’s program. For now, it gives me hope that more policy-makers will recognize that those most in need of the “food” we grow are not the cars we drive, but people—who need it to live.
Don Genova lives at dongenova.com. When he gets out from behind his computer, he’s been known to grow a nice crop of weeds, which he occasionally puts in his salads.
Breaking ground in your own backyard
by JYOTI STEPHENS
I don’t have the greenest thumb. In fact, it’s more a shade of brown—akin to the colour of dirt, which, come to think of it, might actually be a good thing. But this spring, I’m digging in to claim my first backyard garden plot.
I’m taking my cue from “guerrilla” gardener Justin Tilson, who’s actively engaged in getting us to think about growing our own organic food in our own urban environment. Most of us have now heard of the 100-mile diet, but how many of us are familiar with the one-mile diet? It’s Justin’s contention that we’re massively disconnected from the food we eat, and that there’s a real and palpable yearning to reconnect to both the people who grow our food and the land on which it’s grown. Starting a small organic vegetable garden of your own can be a great way to re-establish this connection.
Justin, who heads up the guerrilla gardening group Urban Acres, which plants plots in vacant lots in False Creek, has become something of a gardening guru. He looks at bare, weed-spotted spaces and envisions verdant cradles of food. He says the first step in establishing your own garden is to find a sunny spot.
Your garden may be as small as a balcony, as big as your backyard, or a part of one of the many community gardens springing up around the Lower Mainland. If you lack these options, another creative idea is to connect with Vancouver Sharing Backyards, which, through its website, hooks up people who have backyards with those looking for space to garden.
If you’re just starting out, it’s always good to start small; a small raised bed can be a great place to get your hands dirty. The basic tenet of organic agriculture is “take care of the soil and it will take care of you.” So create a haven for earthworms; they’ll do your cultivating and leave behind rich worm “castings”—the best organic fertilizer you could ever find. Also, find some great fertilizer, whether it be well-composted barnyard manure or compost from your kitchen scraps. Dig this into the soil in your vegetable bed and let it sit for a couple of days before starting to plant.
The UBC Botanical Garden website has suggestions for what to plant month by month. As we head into May, think about sowing pole bea
ns, turnips, bush beans, and corn. Justin suggests that choosing plants that are your favourites, and learning about companion planting and natural methods of building soil fertility, will increase your odds of success.
If you’re able to grow more than you can eat, consider sharing your surplus bounty with neighbours in need. The Richmond Fruit Tree Sharing Project will take your extra fruits and veggies and donate them to organizations like the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
Finally, if building a vegetable garden from the ground up just isn’t your thing, consider enlisting the help of a professional to help get one established. Companies like City Farm Boy will help you build your first planters to get you started on your urban farming journey.
Jyoti Stephens is sustainability and stewardship manager for Nature’s Path. Her summer plans include greening her thumb.
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