Buy Local Food Project

Just Food is working towards a just and sustainable food system in Ottawa.

Currently, there are some barriers that exist in Ottawa that prevent a thriving and sustainable local food system. Here are some of the barriers to buying and selling locally we have heard to date, from farmers, restaurateurs and everyday consumers:

Barriers to Buying Food Locally

• Inconvenient and time consuming shopping
• Difficult to organize transport
• Difficult to get the right quantity
• Not consistently available
• Less local food available due to fewer family farms
• Local food often costs more than buying from distributors, terminals and grocers
• Lack of awareness - where/how to access the food
• Not available in all seasons
• Not as much choice

Barriers to Selling Food Locally

• Not a lot of places/venues to sell the food
• Difficult to organize transport
• Lack of government support for family farms
• Lack of local food processing facilities
• Lack of consumer support/demand
• Labour and financial constraints
• Disproportionate amount of produce, meat etc. imported from other places

What has been done so far in Ottawa?

Just Food works with eaters, farmers and all those involved in the food chain. We are working at dissolving some of the above barriers by focusing on connecting people and creating infrastructure that encourages the sourcing and selling of food locally.

The Ottawa Buy Local Food Guide was created to feature local farms and markets in Ottawa.
20,000 copies of the 1st pilot edition were distributed across the city during the summer of 2005.
Please see our online version of the 2nd Edition of the Ottawa Buy Local Food Guide, released June 2006.

The Buy Local Food Guide allows people with access to transportation to link with local farms and markets and develop ongoing relationships with farmers…. however this is only a beginning.
More infrastructure is needed to encourage stronger local links.

Just Food, in partnership with the City of Ottawa and Canadian Organic Growers - Ottawa chapter, have organized sector-specific meetings to find out how we could best support a local food system in Ottawa. From these meetings we have decided upon several Buy Local Project Initiatives.

Buy Local Project Initiatives

1) Support the start-up of a new downtown producer-only market this 2006 season by:

- Supporting and advertising the wholesale component of the Ottawa Farmers' Market with restaurateurs and other businesses/services
- Doing research to find out what local consumers are eating

2) Support local buying through CSA farms by:

- Advertising CSA farms in the area
- Offering workshops and training sessions for farmers wishing to begin or expand a CSA program on their farm.
- Encouraging farm volunteers and linking them with farmers in need of labour.

3) Develop and deliver "Buy Local" community presentations that highlight what is needed to ensure a healthy food system in Ottawa. (If you would like a presentation for your community group, please contact us.)

4) Form a Buy Local Strategy Committee to develop and implement a better infrastructure in Ottawa to improve the ability of consumers, institutions and businesses to source local food.

Why are we doing this?

We believe that healthy, local food should be accessible to everybody.
We want to support our local farmers, so that farmland is preserved, that local knowledge and skills about how to grow food are kept within our communities, with the hope that one day Ottawa will be more food secure. (92% of Ottawa is rich, productive, agricultural land that could produce a substantial amount of food for the people who reside in Ottawa.)
We want to support our local agricultural sector by creating an economic and social partnership between local producers and consumers, which benefits the entire community.
We believe in a bioregional food system that is less energy intensive than the current way food is distributed.

How can you get involved?

• If you make food purchases, whether in the home, or in your workplace, consider increasing the amount of food you buy from local producers.
• Help distribute the Ottawa Buy Local Food Guide throughout the City: in restaurants, stores, community centres, waiting rooms, organizations and anywhere else you think people will find them.
• Invite us to a meeting or event to do a "Buy Local" presentation
• Join the Buy Local Strategy Committee and help develop a citywide infrastructure to support local buying and selling. (Just Food has taken initial steps in assessing what might work. We welcome other expertise and ideas.)