News – Page 5 – North Okanagan Land to Table Network

22Oct 2020 by admin

BX Ranchlands: A Functional Past and a Promising Future

Credit: BX/Swan Lake Community Association In the first week of my position as the Land to Table (then NOFSI) Coordinator, I found myself around a table, at Rancho Vignola, with a group of food system folks. Meeting participants included farmers exploring a co-op, an economic development consultant working with the O’Keefe Ranch, the BX/Swan Lake Community Association exploring opportunities to support retaining the municipal owned BX Ranchlands, amongst others. We were gathered to hear and learn about each other's work and to think about opportunities for collaboration--or at least how to minimize duplication. More so, we had gathered to share with and learn from Heather Pritchard, former Executive Director of FarmFolk CityFolk and now Executive Director of the Foodlands Cooperative of BC. Heather had been invited to visit the region…

28Sep 2020 by hpadmin

The Six-Month COVID Hump: What’s Next?

News, Regional News

Perhaps you have heard, we—the collective world—have hit the six-month COVID hump. At this point, within a cycle of “disaster” (as it has been for so many), experiencing a wide range of big emotions is normal. So if you are overwhelmed as you stare down from this hump-like place, know that burnout is quite likely. It may also be helpful to know that within the ag community, support (including funding and some really smart folks) is available. For example, Community Futures has developed a new REACH program designed to help agricultural businesses recover. “From lost farmgate sales to lost harvest workers, agricultural businesses in the North Okanagan have had a tough year because of COVID-19. Now, a new business accelerator program aims to help the region’s agricultural entrepreneurs get the…

22Jul 2020 by hpadmin

The 100 Mile Diet (15 years later), COVID and our Attention for Local Food

News, Regional News

Food Action's 100 Mile Diet Challenge (2010) Would you call yourself a ‘locavore’? What does ‘local food’ mean to you? Is it food grown and processed in BC, or perhaps in the Okanagan? Maybe ‘local’ means closer to home still, from the North Okanagan. For many, this year especially, local looks like buying meat and vegetables from the farmer down the road, and harvesting from your own garden. 2020 has brought unprecedented challenges due to a global pandemic that is shining a spotlight on our food system and inspiring people to look at where our food comes from. This year also marks the 15th anniversary of the 100 Mile Diet—a movement inspired by a simple idea, as written about by authors J.B. MacKinnon and Alisa Smith, who for one year…

22Jul 2020 by hpadmin

City of Vernon – Economic Development Advisory Committee Presentation

News, Regional News

As talk of ‘recovery’ begins, many are curious to know how the agriculture sector has been impacted by COVID. In a presentation to the City of Vernon Economic Development Advisory Committee last week, Land to Table was able to share some of what we are hearing from small-medium scale producers and processors. This included: Local, small-scale meat producer sales, direct to consumers can’t keep up with demand.Farmers' market sales are unpredictable this year, perhaps due to weather or because many are growing their own food. Those who have suffered the most include farms or processors with the majority or all sales at farmers' markets but also those who have a high number of sales to restaurants.Some small businesses were able to take the time during the lock down to innovate…

11Jun 2020 by hpadmin

A letter to our “Soil Sisters” (can I call you that?)

News, Regional News

To the Women - Farmers, Food System Educators and Advocates: Hi! I know some of you well and some I am just getting to know through Land to Table and during chats at farmers markets (yes, I am still sneaking conversation in as a walk through the taped off lines of the Covid conscious markets). I am not a farmer but have budding dreams of growing food for my community. For now, I am happy to help make connections and promote cross-sector collaboration as an important piece of building a more resilient regional food system. I wanted to take a moment to share an article that comes from rural Wisconsin. It's called Rhubarb and Resilience – Women Share Inspiration. I was moved by the community-building-through-food that this group of women…

17Apr 2020 by hpadmin

L2T Thoughts & Resources for Changing Times

L2T Updates, News

What an intense spring we are all experiencing. As we wrestle with how to create new ways of being at home and in our communities (while keeping our distance, working from home with kids at home, and adapting our businesses to operate during pandemic times) many of us are also experiencing information overload. Land to Table would like to echo the thoughts and sentiment of most organizations in that we support the efforts to maintain social distancing to keep ourselves and our communities as healthy as possible. Also, we are optimistic about the opportunity to draw value and awareness to the importance of creating a strong local food system. Creating opportunities for more deeply connecting to each other through food seems more important than ever. We also want to acknowledge…

21Jan 2020 by hpadmin

Food Access…Exploring Gaps

L2T Updates, News

This is not news… we know that sufficient, safe and nutritious food is critical to the health and well-being of us all. Unfortunately, half a million British Columbians can't afford a basic healthy diet. This was outlined in the Food Costing in BC report (2017) and powerful infographic. Within the North Okanagan, home to around 85,000 residents, we know that 15 percent of people in our communities are low income, meaning their after-tax income is $22,460 or less. In the Interior Health region 14 percent of households’ experience food insecurity. Yet, low income is not the only factor affecting access to healthy local food in our region. It's evident that even though we live in a region of diverse and productive foodlands, food access is impacted by a wide range…

30Sep 2019 by hpadmin

Researchers Seek Input to Strengthen Farm to Restaurant Connections

News, Regional News

Researchers from the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems, Kwantlen Polytechnic University are seeking public participation to help them understand the demand for local food in Okanagan restaurants. Through to the end of October, Okanagan residents are being asked to complete a 10-minute online survey about their preferences for local food in restaurants. The survey hopes to obtain information about the demand for local foods in restaurant meals, to strengthen the farm to restaurant supply chain and support the local food/farming sectors in the region. Participants who complete the survey will be entered to win one of five $100 gift cards to local restaurants. Those wishing to access the survey can do so at https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/be_local_eat_local until Midnight on October 31st and are encouraged to share the survey with their networks. Survey…

21Aug 2019 by hpadmin

Salmon Arm Economic Development Society Wants To Hear From You!

News, Regional News

Salmon Arm Economic Development Society is assessing the feasibility of increasing agriculture processing and innovation in the Shuswap region by developing a Regional Food Hub. The Food Hub Feasibility Study which is currently underway, includes assessing the needs of local food producers and processors across all sub-sectors of agriculture in the areas of research, processing, food safety, training and education, storage, business development support programs, community kitchens and related required venues and equipment. If you are a food producer or processor, or a prospective food producer or processor, we would be grateful if you would take some time to share your knowledge and experience to help shape the outcome of this study. Please visit the survey link HERE.

23Jul 2019 by hpadmin

Community Futures North Okanagan supports food systems network

News, Regional News

How can we develop a local food system that is prosperous, environmentally sustainable and accessible? Even more, how can we go from talking about doing this, to making it happen? These are just some of the questions that have driven Land to Table, a network of partners committed to building a thriving local food network for the North Okanagan. “Our idea is that if we have a well-connected and coordinated network inspired by a common vision and goals, together we can develop a food system that benefits so many in our region in so many ways,” says Liz Blakeway, coordinator, Land to Table. Originally known as North Okanagan Food Systems Initiative (NOFSI), the network grew from handful of women rooted in the agricultural community who were committed to sustainable development…

Category: News