The Path Forward | FLO Nation Farms

New Brunswick has a fantastic food and beverage scene. Our province is home to some genuinely innovative chefs with diverse cultural backgrounds. The main reason why many of our fabulous restaurants have been successful is how supportive and enthusiastic our population is towards food. Saint John is host to numerous food-related events every year, such as Burger Week, Ribfest, Taste of the Maritimes, and Chop Chop. There has been a quickly growing culture based on supporting local, especially true in the food industry. However, the problem is that we do not have anywhere near enough local agriculture to support our local restaurants, let alone individual consumers.

New Brunswick has a fantastic food and beverage scene. Our province is home to some genuinely innovative chefs with diverse cultural backgrounds. The main reason why many of our fabulous restaurants have been successful is how supportive and enthusiastic our population is towards food. Saint John is host to numerous food-related events every year, such as Burger Week, Ribfest, Taste of the Maritimes, and Chop Chop. There has been a quickly growing culture based on supporting local, especially true in the food industry. However, the problem is that we do not have anywhere near enough local agriculture to support our local restaurants, let alone individual consumers.

A shocking fact is that we, as a province, only grow 8% of the fruits and vegetables consumed within our borders. We rely on outside entities for 92% of our produce. This dependence on imports leaves us vulnerable to;

Supply chain issues,
Decreased product quality and availability,
A high carbon footprint tied to our food,
Food safety issues,
Considerable fluctuations in pricing due to foreign markets.

A shocking fact is that we, as a province, only grow 8% of the fruits and vegetables consumed within our borders. We rely on outside entities for 92% of our produce. This dependence on imports leaves us vulnerable to;

Supply chain issues,
Decreased product quality and availability,
A high carbon footprint tied to our food,
Food safety issues,
Considerable fluctuations in pricing due to foreign markets.

To be resilient as a population, we must make increasing our level of food sovereignty a priority. While this seems like a no-brainer, there are many hurdles we must overcome before seeing a more food-sovereign New Brunswick.

We can essentially break down the roadblocks that we face into four main categories: environmental, political, societal, and sustainability. Unfortunately, these issues overlap and intertwine, making it challenging to navigate our way to a solution for any one of them.

We can essentially break down

the roadblocks that we face into

four main categories: environmental,

political, societal, and sustainability. Unfortunately, these issues overlap and

intertwine, making it challenging to

navigate our way to a solution for

any one of them.

Many of the political challenges that we face will be much harder to fix, taking a strong, unified voice to make the government listen. Our current agricultural funding programs have been designed to raise the province’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) statistics by helping large, export-focused producers, and not to feed our citizens. Food security and food sovereignty are known issues for New Brunswick. Many of the political parties made promises during our recent provincial election to combat these issues in one way or another. We, as citizens, need to ensure that they keep those promises. We need government programs designed to aid new entrant farmers, promote innovation in our agricultural systems, and encourage younger generations to begin farming.

Many of the political challenges that we face

will be much harder to fix, taking a strong, unified

voice to make the government listen. Our current

agricultural funding programs have been designed to raise

the province’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) statistics by

helping large, export-focused producers, and not to feed our

citizens. Food security and food sovereignty are known issues for

New Brunswick. Many of the political parties made promises during

our recent provincial election to combat these issues in one way

or another. We, as citizens, need to ensure that they keep

those promises. We need government programs designed

to aid new entrant farmers, promote innovation in our

agricultural systems, and encourage younger

generations to begin farming.

The environmental challenges that we face will be the hardest to change but perhaps the easiest to work around. New Brunswick only has an average of 126 frost-free days in a year, meaning that we cannot grow crops for the majority of the year using traditional methods. This short growing season, coupled with adverse weather conditions, and the potential for pest problems, makes it easy to see why conventional agriculture has declined in the province. Indoor agriculture could mitigate most of these issues; however, the infrastructure requires considerable financial investments to getstarted, which many farmers cannot afford. Without the help of our government, it will be hard for many farmers to make the transition.

The environmental challenges that we face will

be the hardest to change but perhaps the easiest to

work around. New Brunswick only has an average of

126 frost-free days in a year, meaning that we cannot grow

crops for the majority of the year using traditional methods. This

short growing season, coupled with adverse weather conditions,

and the potential for pest problems, makes it easy to see why

conventional agriculture has declined in the province. Indoor

agriculture could mitigate most of these issues; however, the

infrastructure requires considerable financial investments to get

started, which many farmers cannot afford. Without the

help of our government, it will be hard for many

farmers to make the transition.

The environmental challenges that we face

will be the hardest to change but perhaps the

easiest to work around. New Brunswick only has an

average of 126 frost-free days in a year, meaning that

we cannot grow crops for the majority of the year using

traditional methods. This short growing season, coupled with

adverse weather conditions, and the potential for pest problems,

makes it easy to see why conventional agriculture has declined in the province. Indoor agriculture could mitigate most of these issues;

however, the infrastructure requires considerable financial

investments to getstarted, which many farmers cannot

afford. Without thehelp of our government, it will

be hard for many farmers to make the transition.

Shifts in our society could have the most detrimental effects on agriculture in our province. The average age of farmers in New Brunswick is 55 years old, with many planning to retire in the coming years. With fewer people than ever pursuing futures in agriculture and many of those interested not having the financial means to begin, many farmers struggle to find people to take over their farms.

Shifts in our society could have the most detrimental

effects on agriculture in our province. The average age of

farmers in New Brunswick is 55 years old, with many planning

to retire in the coming years. With fewer people than ever pursuing

futures in agriculture and many of those interested not having the

financial means to begin, many farmers struggle to find people

to take over their farms.

As we make headway against these issues, we need to remain conscious of our decisions. We need to create a sustainable agriculture industry in New Brunswick and not repeat others’ mistakes. The industrial agriculture model used elsewhere has contributed to desertification, soil degradation, decreased biodiversity, and ocean dead zones. Agriculture currently contributes to 70% of the world’s freshwater usage. In most cases, farmers can re-use the water once it makes its way back to the water table. However, this leads to other issues like contamination of the water source from chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, chemical nutrients, and fertilizers.

As we make headway against these issues, we need

to remain conscious of our decisions. We need to create a

sustainable agriculture industry in New Brunswick and not repeat

others’ mistakes. The industrial agriculture model used elsewhere has contributed to desertification, soil degradation, decreased biodiversity,

and ocean dead zones. Agriculture currently contributes to 70% of

the world’s freshwater usage. In most cases, farmers can re-use

the water once it makes its way back to the water table.

However, this leads to other issues like contamination of

the water source from chemicals like pesticides,

herbicides, chemical nutrients, and fertilizers.

FLO Nation Farms

Food In New Brunswick

Food Sovereignty

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