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1 Introduction: Penticton Grown Food Security
1 INTRODUCTION: PENTICTON GROWN FOOD
SECURITY
The City of Penticton’s Official Community Plan outlines the importance of agriculture, food systems, and food sustainability to the City’s economy and its residents’ well-being. Penticton is one of the most productive agricultural regions in Canada. The Penticton Food Security Strategy focuses on understanding, assessing, and planning for food security mainly within the City of Penticton, with some regional information included for context.
Penticton’s goal is to work towards a resilient food system and to ensure equitable food access for residents.
Food security relates to equitable and sufficient access to food. The concept also refers to the long-term security, resiliency, and sustainability of our food systems. Improving food security means more than ensuring that residents experiencing food insecurity have access to charitable food assistance programs. It means that improvements are made to the overall system which results in food insecurity. Several factors which diminish food security locally are addressed by the Food Security Strategy (‘the Strategy’). These include regulations of farming activities, access to public gardening areas, and the effectiveness of food-related social programming. Other factors, such as the high cost of housing and the rising cost of food, are difficult to address in the Strategy but are recognized as contributing to food insecurity.
Progress on this issue requires an integrated and collaborative approach involving local government, community organizations, and provincial and federal governments. The Strategy brings together ideas from diverse community organizations, First Nations, the City of Penticton, and provincial ministries to establish a comprehensive approach to advancing food security.
The Strategy required community-buy in and support from the Food Security Strategy Working Group (‘Working Group’), local stakeholders, and the public.
Key outcomes from the Strategy are a vision of food security in Penticton, key objectives, and strategies and initiatives to advance improvements to food security.
