Climate Change & Food Security

Participant narratives from this project revealed participants’ real concerns about food security challenges.  Small, local family and community gardens as well as traditional food sources play an important role in meeting individual and family needs in small cities and rural communities.  These resources are being impacted by climate change.

Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.  The four pillars of food security are availability, access, utilization, and stability (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2009).

 Highlights of Key Issues
“… I think with the economy going down for a lot of our workers in our community that healthy food is an issue.  I think that food banks are being very much used.  I know there is a big breakfast [program] in schools for kids to have food before they start school, so I think that is an issue for health.” Quesnel

“Our traditional food services have been really impacted …we are trading …to gain access to dried fish or the Coho [salmon] from Bella Coola or Sockeye [salmon] from Vancouver Island … you have to reach out way further to get that resource than you normally would …Trying to be subsistent as well but really that is quickly disappearing, to be more subsistent on the traditional food sources right, and I find that [we are] leaning more on town food.” Merritt First Nations

“… our food system is not really addressing some of these key issues for people, you know good nutrition for seniors and poor people … I don’t think generally the province is taking that large view.  I don’t know what could be done about it, other than maybe educate the politicians.” Clearwater

“…I think what we are seeing too is that women are saying you know we are doing a lot you know, and some of the extra work sometimes falls on us.  Not that we necessarily need that extra work, but we kind of see this as something we can try to do, but it needs to go beyond the individual … We are concerned for our children for the future, but what can we do and our concerns about food, that is a big issue.” Quesnel 

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