A fun thought dawned on me today while I was chatting with the team at our weekly meeting. It has been over 10 since we introduced the Farm Basket at uOttawa... 10 years! Honestly most appliances don't even last that long. I though this might be a good chance to talk about the origins of the program and how we might grow this program (pun intended) for the next decade.
Ten years ago, an international student (Coraline) came to intern at our office with the express interest of starting a Community Supported Agricultural program, more commonly known as a CSA. Coraline was quickly able to find a farm that fit all our criteria. We wanted...
- A farm that could offer certified organic vegetables
- That was local
- and could deliver to the campus
Starting a food movement on campus
Our three criteria were important to us because we wanted to create a sustainable food system on campus, with one of the focal points being to source organic food. Sure, "the 100 mile diet" was a big craze at the time so of course finding something local would sweeten the pot, but really organic food was where we wanted to make a difference.
So what does a sustainable food system look like anyways? I mean if you are hoping for a simple definition, you aren't going to find it here. A sustainable food system is unique to each region and setting. Different environments have different foods available at different times of the year. When we first starting asking ourselves the question of what we needed at uOttawa, we decided to focus on what was missing.
We rationalized at the time that a sustainable food system was something that would offer access to healthy, environmentally friendly, ethical, and affordable food to the entire campus community. So reducing the chemicals in our food, reducing the distance food has to travel to get to us, and reducing the carbon impact of food were all part of our environmental and health goals.
We had started getting more vegan/vegetarian meal options on campus (reduced carbon), and we were working on our Fair Trade Campus certification (ethical). Ensuring local produce was a bit trickier to do because of all the bizarre quirks in our food labelling, but progress was being made.
So we were so happy that the Ferme aux pleines saveurs agreed to be our farm, satisfying both our local and organic goals. Supporting local farmers has so many benefits, not the least of which is strengthening the local food network.
Why so obsessed with organic
You might be asking yourself right now why were so bent on getting organic food on campus. But really the question is why wouldn't we be obsessed? The health benefits are great. Organic food typically has higher levels of vitamins and nutrients, it doesn't have anywhere near as many chemicals, and they are usually GMO free.
Beyond health, organic foods are better for the planet. They don't pollute the soils and waterways with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, which also protects the wildlife.
And because the organic food is handled by farmers and farm hands, basically everyone gets the benefits of not being exposed the harsh chemicals.
WIN WIN WIN! And our farm is certified through Québec-Vrai so we know that their practices are inline with the best out there.
Bringing the price in line with what is affordable
But of course there is a downside to organic and that is the cost. Organic food can be anywhere between 20% to 80% more expensive depending on the crop. This alone places it out of the reach of many people. But that was not lost on our intern while she was working on the project.
Indeed, the very nature of CSAs help keep costs low so that the sticker price of the food isn't as bad. Essentially, the cost of the farm baskets are lower than the prices you get at a store because you are buying directly from the farmer and sharing some of the risk of a bad growing season. Although this doesn't make organic farm baskets the cheapest option, it does make them pretty attractive.
There are also a few fringe benefits built into our CSA program, including delivery to campus, community baskets to trade fruits or vegetables you don't like, a very flexible delivery schedule, and the occasional preserved goods. The farm we work with also has an online store where you can order other farm goods (like apples by the bushel).
Growing the program
The program has been doing very well for the past few years but there is always room for improvement. Our team has been working on finding new ways to attract more people to the program and grow the number of baskets distributed on campus.
- Creating a more inviting drop-off space
Right now the space we have to pick up baskets is a small corner of our office, but we are dreaming of a better welcome space. One that is equipped with recipes and information about the produce in each basket. One that has information about where else you can get organic food around the city. One that helps complete the dream of a sustainable food system on campus. - More information about the benefits of organic
Sometimes repetition is the key to getting through to people. Certainly you have already heard about the benefits of organic foods, but here they are again to help let the message set. Organic foods have no pesticides, they are richer in vitamins and higher in nutrients, they don't pollute the soils or waterways, they don't hurt the livestock that might be eating them, they are the output of a healthy landscape, and did I mention that people who eat organic food have fewer cases of cancer?!? We are hopefully going to launch a campaign to soon launch a campaign to remind the campus community of these benefits.
You can learn more from this comprehensive analysis of organic foods - Better prices for the community
So as mentioned, the cost of organic food can be pretty high compared to non-organic. But that is the retail price you pay at stores. When you are buying directly from the farmer, things are cheaper. Nevertheless, we are toying around with the idea of introducing a second cheaper non-organic basket for students. We love organic food but getting access to fresh farm grown food might be more realistic as an entry point for price sensitive students.
I think that we can safely say that our organic farm basket has been a success, but the true measure of success will be to see if we can get more organic food into the general food stream on campus (in the food court and dinning hall).
If you are interested in learning more about our program, check out our webpage for details.
~ jonathan rausseo - campus sustainability manager
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