鈥淚 see a kid walking down the street, I just want to give them a hug and say I鈥檓 sorry.鈥�
John McLeod is referring to the destruction of agricultural land in B.C. and the subsequent lack of locally grown food available for the future.
Although reluctant to be featured in the newspaper, McLeod speaks passionately about the need to think more about future generations 鈥� what and how they鈥檙e going to source food.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to change our mentality. It鈥檚 not just about 鈥榤e鈥� all the time鈥� We can learn from our First Nations鈥� neighbours. We鈥檝e let greed rule for too long. I hear people saying kids today are all entitled. I think it was our generation that was entitled. Hair straight back and do what we want.鈥�
He stresses Canada must have have the ability to feed its own people.
鈥淚f you have to rely on foreign corporations and other countries to feed you鈥�. when they control your stomach, they鈥檝e got your brain. It鈥檚 up to us to protect and maintain all viable land. And by viable, I mean all land. We have to get away from soil classifications; poor dirt is better than no dirt. You can鈥檛 grow vegetables out of concrete and ashphalt.鈥�
With only a small percentage of land in B.C. available as viable agricultural land, McLeod would like to see more hillsides and mountains used for residential, commercial and industrial.
This community grew out of agriculture and forestry, he reminds.
鈥淲e鈥檝e kind of kicked it to the curb because of a boat coming from offshore with our food.鈥�
He points to existing starvation on the planet.
鈥淲e kind of ignore it and think there鈥檚 always going to be food in the grocery store. I think that鈥檚 false bravado.鈥�
McLeod鈥檚 family has been farming in Salmon Arm since 1911. He was born and raised on the property next door to where he and his spouse Lois now live. In 1979, when his uncle was ready to quit farming, he began farming Edgemont Farms, near the corner of Foothill and 30th Street SW.
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He鈥檚 a long-time member of the city鈥檚 agricultural advisory committee and the environmental advisory committee; in fact he was instrumental in the formation of the agricultural committee. He is also a member of the Shuswap Food Action Co-op.
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McLeod presented a report to Agriculture Minister Lana Popham and the Standing Committee on Agriculture regarding an idea he鈥檚 been touting for many years. He would like to see hospitals source local ingredients to help ensure healthier outcomes and support local economies. The report was well received and he is pleased the minister is moving forward with the initiative.
McLeod points to a recent report from the BC Real Estate Foundation on sustainable food systems in B.C. as well one from Kwantlen College on the future of the food system in the Southwest B.C. Bioregion. Both emphasize the need to look to the future regarding land use and food provision.
In a submission to the province on the Agricultural Land Reserve, the Union of BC Municipalities asked the agriculture ministry to 鈥渞ecognize that local governments are a key component of agricultural planning and protection in B.C. and that thorough consultation with local governments is an integral aspect of enabling a robust and effective ALC and ALR.鈥�
McLeod believes food security and food sovereignty should be part of official community plans.
鈥淪ixty communities in B.C. have a strategy to start moving agricultural land into their OCPs (official community plans). We鈥檙e a way behind the curve. It would be nice to see that change. We鈥檙e having civic elections in the fall. I think we should have this asked of the candidates.鈥�
He finds that local and regional governments don鈥檛 have the desire to preserve agricultural land.
鈥淲hat we have to do is get broad representation in the community to work on agricultural policy and the importance 鈥� importance isn鈥檛 a strong enough word 鈥� the necessity of looking out for future generations. We鈥檙e only looking for our own return on investment. We have to think of two and three generations down the road. Minimum. That鈥檚 the thing I want to try and hit home.
鈥淲e just have to keep our eye on the proper focus and not rely on the multinational industrial complex to keep feeding us.鈥�
Then there鈥檚 climate change, which has huge implications for agriculture.
鈥淭here again, it鈥檚 a thing we鈥檙e oblivious to鈥� There鈥檚 a whole host of birds we don鈥檛 have anyore. What happened there? Did they just decide to go somewhere else? We shouldn鈥檛 be oblivious to this. We鈥檙e the stewards for the next generations. The way I see things, I don鈥檛 think we鈥檝e been very good at our jobs.鈥�
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On the positive side, McLeod points out there鈥檚 been a good turnout for the recent Shuswap Food Action Co-op鈥檚 series of food conversations towards a local food system, and more people with young families have been participating in the co-op. Canning is making a comeback.
On the global scale, however, he鈥檚 concerned about trade agreements.
鈥淭he NAFTA trade agreements control what governments can and can鈥檛 do. How did we allow that to happen? The NAFTA agreement we鈥檙e now negotiating, they want no labelling of ingredients on food. We get to go vote once every four years, after that the lobbyist has an open door to government and the constituent has been told to sit down and shut up.鈥�
He quips, with his characteristic wit: 鈥淚 quit drinking 10 years ago and it was too soon.鈥�
But, despite any discouragement, McLeod is driven to keep working towards a sustainable food supply.
He remarks, this time deadly serious: 鈥淚 see that little kid and I can鈥檛 let it go.鈥�
@SalmonArm
marthawickett@saobserver.net
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