Kingston: Potential Topics?

Good day everyone!  I just wanted to get things started with the AgendaCamp coming to Kingston.  I thought I'd post a page with potential topics that we would like to hear and talk about.  (I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries here)

1. I'd LOVE to hear from some of the organizers of the Lanark Landowners' Association/Ontario Landowners' Association http://ruralrevolution.com/website/  I want them to participate in AgendaCamp!!!
2. It would be great to hear from Wineries in Ontario especially those of Prince Edward County.  http://www.pec.on.ca/pec_yellowpages/yellowpages.php3?category=44
3. Again, focusing on Prince Edward County and the areas around Kingston, I'd like to hear from some local farming initiatives from farmers and the movement to buy local.  Perhaps we can have some of the local farmers who are vendors in the Market Square every Tuesday and Thursday behind Kingston City Hall?  (Little Fact: Kingston's Market Square is the first and longest running market in Ontario started in 1780)  http://www.cityofkingston.ca/visitors/marketsquare/index.asp

 I would like to add a discussion of the renewable energy resources in the Kingston region. There is going to be a switch to renewable energy in Ontario and the rural areas have the land where it's going to take place. How can we see that farmers, and others who live and work in rural areas, benefit from participating in the transformation of our energy economy?

My suggestion for a discussion topic: innovation in agriculture. I'm thinking of things like functional foods, environment and energy but also opportunities like manufacturing, such as the BioCar or waste water treatment.(Lilian)

As a local farmer/ purveyor of local fare I would love to participate in a discussion about innovation in agriculture (pat - desert lake gardens)

Edit this page to add your topics!

 My suggestion for topics would be around the shift in an interest by the public in where their food comes from. Until a few years ago, many consumers were content to believe that their food comes from grocery stores, readily available 365 days per year. The local food movement and the 100 mile diet however have completely changed the mind shift of consumers - who now seem much more interested in learning how their food is raised or grown. What has this done for Ontario agriculture. (Kelly)

I'd like to talk about the importance of having a domestic food supply. The cost of producing food has skyrocketed and many farmers now produce food at - or below - the cost of production.  How important is it that we have access to a local food supply and what's the solution for keeping farmers in the business of food production? Can we expect to have access to cheap local food even if farmers aren't making a profit? (Lisa)

Here are some thoughts from Hastings County, which may apply to other parts of eastern Ontario : Louise Livingstone

If we lose the ability to grow our own food (and fuel) we become vulnerable as we can't ensure food safety or quarentee supply. Many farmers in eastern Ontario, especially beef farmers, are finding it difficult to make a living as input costs go up and prices go down. The average age of farmers is 53 years and unless agriculture is attractive and land is available young people won't want to become farmers.

Harvest Hastings is a partnership project  aimed at increasing awareness about agriculture and the variety of food available in Hastings County. Check http://www.harvesthastings.ca. We have over 100 producers listed on the site and people can search their pages to find about the farmers and what they produce. There is also information about farmers markts and farm shops. As much of Hastings County is without high speed internet we are producing a booklet with maps.

Hastings County is very diverse in its variety of soils and micro climates and this is reflected in what is grown here. There used to be a number of processing plants from canning factories for peas and tomatoes, to breweries, distilleries and evaporators for apples.  We still have small abattoirs, three traditional cheese factories and industrial cheese processors, a large dairy and a creamery making butter. We are working to see if there is potential for more processing to preserve the summer harvest. There is interest in setting up a community kitchen so farmers and others can process smaller batches fo crops like corn or soft fruit.

A growing number of  people, especially teenagers, have difficulty getting enough food  and the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board, http://www.hpedsb.on.ca/ec/lrf/Learning Foundation runs a Food for Learning program getting food into the schools. Harvest Hastings will link producers with schools to provide more local food for students.

There is a big move to raise awareness of the importance of agriculture. The Hastings County Museum of Agricultral Heritage with the Learning Foundation, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs, the local agricultural organizations and farmers hosted Agribition at the agricultural Museum in Stirling http://www.agmuseum.ca for 800 grade three students from Bancroft to Picton in October 2008.

Nowadays, farming is not just about producing food, it is about protecting the environment and about education/farm tourism. Prince Edward County and the south and central part of Hastings County were settled nearly 200 years ago with United Empire Loyalists from the United States and yeoman farmers from Ireland  with smaller numbers of Scots, English and French Canadians. We have a unique and important cultural landscape with great bio-diversity.

The challenge is how to farm sustainably and how farmers can make a living wage. There are a growing number of certified organic farms in Hastings County, and others using techniques like no till to protect light sandy soils. We have an Amish community and other farmers who work with horses. There are some large very progressive dairy farms working to get energy from biomass. Others are experimenting with crops like hemp. The challenge is how to we can maintain this variety and maintain the flexibility to adapt to changes coming with climate change and peak oil.

Potential topics for discussion:

Food security

Farm incomes

Agriculture and environment - who pays

Bio mass for energy - producing our own energy

What is sustainable agriculture in contect of eastern Ontario

Attracting young people to farming

Loss of farmland: Farmland is not lost just to development, in many parts of Ontario farmland is being bought by non-farmers and/or hobby farmers and converted to recreational uses. This land is taken out of production just as surely as if it was paved over.

Wildlife damage: farmers are paying the costs, with (often) no opportunity to minimize the damage (increasing bear and other wildlife populations, elk)

Commodity prices and the media: there was a great deal of hand-wringing in the media over commodity prices "due to ethanol" driving food prices up in the grocery stores. Now that commodity prices have dropped significantly, why isn't the media picking up on the fact that grocery prices haven't dropped equally?

Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS): farmers are paid to keep parts of their land naturalized and diverse 

Eco-Tourism: farmers create B&Bs where people who visit help out on the farm in exchange for free accomodation (being done on organic farms, where the labour requirements are high)