Submission by the National Farmers Union on Local Food

Local Food is a global trend. The movement towards fair and sustainable local food systems is not new, and it is not a fad, but it is experiencing a coming of age around the world. The reasons for this trend are very straightforward. A combination of factors has created a situation where the sustainability of our food production and trading system is highly questionable. These factors include: climate change and peak oil, the farm income crisis, unfair international trade rules, world population growth, parallel epidemics of hunger and obesity, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, soil salinity and erosion, pesticide and fertilizer pollution, and a decline in rural communities around the world. People in Canada and in other countries are legitimately concerned about the future of the food system, and are taking a long, hard, critical look at what measures need to be implemented to ensure sustainability for the present and future generations.