by David Parkinson

I spend a lot of time thinking about our local food supply, and how we will get ourselves back to the level of community self-reliance that we used to have in the not-too-distant past. Probably many people consider this sort of thinking to be a little out there—maybe more than a little; but with the economic decline of the last few months showing no signs of slowing down, it is time to buckle down to finding ways to strengthen our food supply. This means many things: learning how to cook better with less expensive ingredients; starting to grow some of our own food, or growing more if we’re already growing some; sharing our knowledge and skills about how to grow, preserve, and prepare food; growing more than we need and getting the excess to those whose need is greater than ours; learning how to support our local farmers; encouraging more people to farm and produce food locally; and so much more.

We are heading into a time of challenges and unknowns, and this is making many of us nervous. An economic system based on unlimited greed and plunder of the natural world is starting to fall apart from its internal contradictions and failures. When something that big begins to totter, then we all need to run for cover. And the best place to run to for protection is our social support networks: our families and loved ones, friends, neighbours, and community in the broadest sense. Together we can be stronger, safer, better fed, and more secure.

If you want to be part of an ongoing conversation about building community and making this place more self-reliant and resilient, come out to the monthly Kale Force meetings, held on the second Wednesday of every month, starting at 5:00 PM at the Community Resource Centre (4752 Joyce Ave.). Bring food if you can, since we start off with a potluck; and if you can’t bring food, bring an appetite and your thoughts about how we can strengthen our community and become more able to feed ourselves and our families, friends, and neighbours.