Organic Food Security

revised October 15 2024

Organic food security means grow most of the food that people actually eat within your bio-region. Use biological practices and materials that help Mother Earth. This definition has evolved over time for my wife and I.

Canada imports the vast majority of the vegetables and fruits (produce) that people buy from the supermarkets. Most of this food is industrial (chemical), has pesticide residues and emits carbon during production.

Where Are We Now With Food Security ?

British Columbia (BC) has only 13% food security in the critical food group of Vegetables and Fruits (see PHSA 2019, Ostry). BC has around 34% food sales as direct to consumers compared to only 5% direct to consumer sales in Alberta (AB). Only 1% of AB farmers grow vegetables and fruits (around 400 growers out of 40,500), according to the 2016 census. This was about the same number, in AB, as were certified organic or transitional. These small (less than 1 acre) vegetable growers sell mostly direct to consumers.This is where the young farmers are needed most.

These direct sales are key to local prosperity. Why? Because when you give food producers a dollar they spend it with the effect rippling out through the rest of the Canadian economy. Biology is more powerful than technology for carbon draw down from the air (for use in the soil) and for growing vegetables to replace expensive imports. These Vegetables, grown with practices and materials that help Mother Earth, are more nutrient dense and pesticide free.

Feeding One Person

Do we have the land in Alberta to grow more vegetables? YES! Do we have the young farmers selling directly to consumers? NO, but this could be improved in Alberta. Research (search for bio-intensive practices and John Jeavons) says that each person needs about 4,000 square feet of area to grow all the recommended vegetable and fruit servings (all the calories needed). The land would have to be very productive (carbon rich) and it would have to be irrigated.

A bio-intensive bed as shown above is carefully designed to feed people and the soil life too.

Food Security Rough Indicator

My own rough indicator of food self-reliance (food security,our definition), is how many consumers per farmer. In the 1881 census, the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC) had 18 people per farm (49,459 people and 2,743 farms). This would be close to 100% food security. Today, 2024, BC has 265 people per farm and AB has 150 people per farm. Both places are far from significant food self reliance in the critical food group of VEGETABLES. Both places are missing billions in economic activity each year by importing vegetables and fruits from California and Mexico that could be grown in Alberta.

We actually need tens of thousands of small vegetable growers, working together with retailers and consumers, as a small biological farmer supply chain. If they were all using biological practices and materials, this would be organic food security, in action.