Back to the land

>> Équiterre’s organic food baskets harvest Quebecers’ desires for local eats

CLOSE AND DELICIOUS: Équiterre basket

by TRACEY LINDEMAN

California strawberries, Ecuadorian bananas, Mexican avocados—the average Quebec kitchen bears the fruits of globalization, much to the chagrin of local farmers.

According to Statistics Canada, Quebec has lost 5,316 farms in the past 12 years. In 2005, Quebec farms collectively grossed $7.4-billion, but operating costs reached $6-billion. The future of farming in this province may appear bleak, but a growing trend towards organic farming and an emphasis on buying local produce casts much-needed light on Quebec agriculture.

Isabelle Joncas estimates that this year, 10,800 Quebec families—roughly 33,000 people—will get the bulk of their produce through Équiterre’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) network, a program now in its 13th year comprising 114 organic farms, 98 of which offer food baskets (the others offer complementary products, like honey).

“Having a close relationship with a farmer puts you in contact with the reality of farming,” says Joncas, Équiterre’s CSA network coordinator. For a province with a rich farming history, growing urbanism has alienated many Quebecers, half of whom live in the greater Montreal area, from the process of food production, she says.

Joncas points out that having clients sign up for food baskets in late winter/early spring allows farmers to plan their seasons and helps curb some of the start-up costs, like heating greenhouses, purchasing seeds and hiring farm hands. It also allows farmers and consumers to partake in risk and benefit sharing—if they have a bad season, you might get six heads of lettuce, but a bountiful harvest can yield a cornucopia of fresh food.

Quebecers can purchase a share of a farm’s harvest before the season begins, and in return they receive a weekly or bi-weekly food basket with locally produced organic fruits, vegetables and even meat. The cost of the share depends on the size of the basket (some farms offer only one size; others offer several sizes), frequency of delivery and the duration of the harvest, so it can cost anywhere from $250 to $500 for the whole season. Farmers bring their baskets to designated drop-off points for clients to pick up; there are 95 points in Montreal alone.

“Each dollar invested in Quebec communities will have positive repercussions on society,” Joncas says. Investing in Quebec farms boosts local economies and drastically cuts one’s environmental footprint—after all, the difference between Hemmingford and Costa Rica can be over 10,000 gallons worth of fuel.

Joncas points out that buying a share in a local farm not only ensures you eat your veggies, but it allows consumers to try different things. “The fun thing is, it’s a privilege to have access to such a variety,” she says.

For the list of farms in the CSA network, visit www.equiterre.org/agriculture.

Growing goods
the good way

>> Ethical nutrition on the menu at Concordia’s 2008 Sustainable Business Conference

by TRACEY LINDEMAN

Toeing the line between capitalism and sustainability is hard work with all those lobbyists and environmentalists getting in the way, but the idea behind Concordia’s Sustainable Business Conference is that we can have the best of both worlds.

Now in its fourth year, the SBC is part schmooze-fest, part training ground for business students, with the purpose of encouraging future CEOs to take a holistic approach to the business of making money.

“We’re looking at getting business students excited about sustainable business models,” says Jasmine Stuart, co-organizer of this year’s conference. The three pillars of sustainability—economic, environmental and social—are all equally important parts of the lesson plan.

This year’s conference, entitled “Food for Thought,” will examine sustainable business models in the realm of food—genetic engineering, fair trade certification and local food viability are all on the menu for the one-day conference on March 14.

Certification organization Transfair Canada, biotechnology leader Performance Plants and the UN Convention on Biodiversity, as well as other groups, are sending representatives to lead discussions on food and agriculture-related questions in a business framework.

SBC co-organizer Katherine Mansfield says big companies like Wal-Mart getting in on the organic food business lowers not only prices, but standards too, and hurts local farms. Some big businesses import their organic produce from far away places with less rigorous standards for food safety, which begs the question—local or organic? The panel discussion on local food viability will take a look at the options.

Home to the John Molson School of Business, Concordia is a leader in certain areas of sustainability. Project managers for all new buildings and renovations are chosen for their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) skills, and the new JMSB building on the corner of Guy and de Maisonneuve will be entirely LEED certified. Stuart says commerce students recently voted for the creation of the Sustainable Business Group, which she predicts will take over the organization of the conference from Sustainable Concordia, and will host a year-round speaker series.

The conference happens March 14 at Concordia’s DB Clarke Theatre (1455 de Maisonneuve W.). Entrance fees range from $20–$50. Program and registration is available at sustainable.concordia.ca.