Home » Food & Drink » From Field To Table » Food Production: Who do you trust?

Food Production: Who do you trust?

© Bob Ewing

Last Wednesday, I would have sworn that we were in the middle of Fall, looking at an early Winter. Then, wham, the weekend, temperatures in the high 20s. A week later, not much has changed. The long range forecast is predicting 30 celsius for Sunday, my tomatoes and I are saying thanks. They have begun to turn red and now it looks like I won't have to brown bag them. I'll pick a few tonight for fried green tomatoes.

Each year for the past three years, I've been gradually increasing my personal food production. One of the main reasons is that I'd rather grow my own, than rely on current instituionalized food system, even with its lengthy history. The controversy that surrounds food production has made growing my own food and therby significantly reducing the distance from field to table, even more compelling. If I want fresh peas, I only have to walk to my backyard, rather than drive to the supermarket and buy peas that have travelled, at least one thousand miles. Even in winter, when I am unable to grow food outdoors, techniques, such as hydroponics make indoor food production possible all year round.

It is possible that people who wish to only eat organic will object to using hydroponics and, naturally this is their choice to make. We are, after all, talking about a presonal food supply system, rather than a corporate one.

The ongoing controversy that surrounds food production and transgenic foods, uses of pesticides and organic labelling provides enough reasons to want to exercise as much control as possible over your food supply. Nevermind, the threats of Y2K, although I believe that the wise will be prepared and the unwise go hungry, who do you really trust to provide your famliy with the nutrition they need; a coroprate entity where profit is the bottomline, or yourself?

Now, there are many people who cannot grow all their own food, because they do not have sufficent land to do so. They can, however, take part in a community garden, buy their food from a local farmers' market or join/start a community shared agriculture program, all of whihc ahve been discussed in previous articles. The palce to begin is to make an assesment of what you can grow and then explore the locally avialable alternatives. If none, exist, consider starting a community garden or contacting a farmer and seeing if there is interest in a community shared agriculture project. Take charge of your food supply system and be prepared.

The copyright of the article Food Production: Who do you trust? in From Field To Table is owned by . Permission to republish Food Production: Who do you trust? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.