Sarah Khalid - My Blog

Why

I believe that all people have a right to healthy, appropriate, safe and environmentally-sustainable food.

I believe that the food choices we make in the developed world not only effects personal health, but the global population and planet health at large.

I believe it is important and empowering for people to be food literate; it is important for these opportunities to exist.

I believe food has an incredible capacity to transform the way we feel about ourselves, and create social bonds.

I believe food connects us all.

I also believe that our dwindling relationship with good food has exacerbated, if not led to, several ills facing the world today. Yet I believe this can change.

Mississauga relies on a food system that is unsustainable, has huge disparities, comes at a cost to public health, and misconstrues the notion of real food. Mississauga’s suburban nature also lends to inactive/disengaged lifestyles. In the Region of Peel, in which Mississauga is the largest municipality, almost 10,000 citizens used food banks in March 2009 (HungerCount 2009). Cases of diabetes and obesity are steadily increasing (Region of Peel Public Health, 2008). Environmentally, food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for 6.4% of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2003 (Statistics Canada). The ecological footprint of the average Peel resident is 7.38ha (the sixth largest in Canada); energy and food are the two largest components (Region of Peel Planning Department, 2004).

These statistics demonstrate the need for food that is accessible, healthy, and produced in sustainable ways that engages consumers. Backyard, organic vegetable gardens can help meet this need. They are accessible, 24/7 ‘working landscapes’ that provide nutritious food and carbon and stormwater storage. Maintaining these gardens in a group develops a sense of community, a deeper relationship to nature and an understanding of food. Converting unproductive spaces into food-based spaces is a step towards the need for a self-sufficient, engaged and healthier Mississauga.

Link to our photo albums from the pilot:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52311046@N05/sets/