Building a vibrant local food sector involves more than farmers' markets and urban gardens.
While these community initiative are no doubt important, a 2013
report released by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) suggests that, to support the local food sector in Ontario, these initiatives need to be bolstered by other government supported practices. Practices that include wider distribution of local foods, better information about local food availability, and more efficient waste management.
In order to help expand Ontario's local food scene, the Ontario Minister of Agriculture and Food has introduced the Local Food Fund.
The $30-million innitiative was announced by Premier Kathleen Wynne this past Monday at the press conference hosted by Food Share, a Toronto food-based non-profit. The Fund is a new pot of money available for Ontario projects that promote local food, explore new innovations to boost the availability of local food, or research best practices of local food distrubution.
The Local Food Fund's broad range means the money could end up supporting everything from infrastructure and software projects (e.g. the development of new food tracking programs or the creation of new community kitchens) to new public events (e.g. educational initiatives and seasonal food festivals).
Applications for the Local Food Fund are already open (and can be found
here), and the Ministry has released a compressive guideline on the application process that includes detailed information on the kinds of projects eligible and the dates of the submission periods. Because it's a "cost-sharing" initiative, successful applicants will be eligible to have up to 50 per cent of their project cost covered, and, in rare cases, up to 90 per cent. The money will be doled in specified windows over the next three years.
"Supporting local food does so much for Ontario," said Wynne at Monday's press conference. "We are committed to working with our industry partners to increase the demand for local food, which will feed local economies across the province. By supporting partnerships and innovation, this fund will make sure more people benefit from the good things that grow in Ontario."
As Wynne made clear on Monday, the new fund is only one part of a larger strategy to improve the local food sector in the province. In March of this year, the Ontario government introduced the Local Food Act 2013, a bill outlining a multiyear provincial strategy for supporting Ontario's local food sector. The proposed Act (which has not yet been passed) calls for, among other things, the establishment of a new "public sector organization" to gather information on, and to asses the progress of, the local food sector in Ontario.
Writer: Katia Snukal
Source: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food