Tag Archives: local food
Heat Wave
It’s stealthy and quiet. It’s relentless. And can be deadly. It gets little recognition and deserves more. And we are having one here on Vancouver Island. A heat wave. Yes, it’s summer in North America, so expected to be warm or hot. But even by Canada standards, the heat for the last three weeks has […]
Preserve food. Prepare for an emergency.
Last month I blogged on the subject of food security, and how important ‘local’ food was for our ancestors. In order to have adequate food beyond the growing season, some clever food preservation methods were devised in centuries past — and still in widespread use today. Preservation slows down or stops bacteria and other pathogens […]
Celebrating the Seasons through Food
As the saying goes: “Everyone talks about the weather, but no one can do anything about it.” The significance of four seasons was more than just idle chatter a century ago. It had a huge impact on food security. Then, we were largely an agricultural society. Our ancestors were close to the land. Our lives […]
Complexity of NAFTA negotiations
The US, Canada, and Mexico are in several rounds of negotiations to change the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This has been a promise in the present Trump administration, and despite views on Trump, you have to give him credit for addressing his campaign promises – which many politicians can’t claim. NAFTA includes a […]
Quality of Life
While shamelessly check off an increasing number of decades, I’ve had the privilege of residing in several locations. Populated and not so populated. Lovely and not quite so lovely. Urban and rural. In previous blogs, I’ve mentioned growing up on a small dairy in South Carolina. I moved to various towns to teach school, work […]
Disasters with Agricultural Roots
Most of you are aware that here in British Columbia, I focus on agricultural emergencies. “What are they?” you may ask. “And why should we care?” Good questions, and I’ll offer a few reasons, which I’ve mentioned in other blogs. Two – thirds of animal diseases (and 100’s exist!) are ‘zoonotic’, which means they begin […]
Green Acres is the Place to be…
Perhaps it’s comes with getting older, but as I reflect back to childhood, I now appreciate some things that I took for granted. Like growing up on a small 300 acre dairy farm — at least small by today’s standards. I never realized the built-in work ethic that came with awaking at 4:45 every morning. […]
Why would anyone want to farm?
Perhaps soon after meeting someone, you are often asked, “What do you do?” My answer used to be complex, but now is relatively simple. “I work in agricultural emergency planning.” Then I usually must further explain that I prepare farmers for emergencies and disaster. That I have combined a background and also education in both […]
Food Security and Emergency Prep (Part 2)
On an earlier blog, I made a case for local vegetable gardens as an important step toward food security after a disaster. They resemble WWII ‘victory gardens’, since food was rationed during the war. Productive soil is the key to localizing food security. A 5m x 5m plot is more easily accessible than a large plot, especially […]
Food Security and Emergency Prep (Part 1)
An immediate human need after a disaster event is availability of food. We can’t live long without it. I live off the Pacific Coast, on Vancouver Island, where the vast majority of food is imported. This is true in almost all metro areas of North America, but is accentuated because of the water barrier to […]
Recent Comments