Forest and Freshwater Foods Project
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This document summarizes a project that aims to ensure the sustainability of forest food systems in northern Ontario. The project conducts research on the role of forest and freshwater foods (FFWF) in communities, educates on sustainable harvesting practices and food options, and advocates for the conservation of ecological systems that support FFWFs. A survey is being conducted to understand the nature and extent of FFWF use in northern Ontario, including what plants, animals and fish are used, how much and how often, and people's motivations. Preliminary results found that hunting, fishing and gathering are important community activities, and FFWFs provide income supplementation for over 70% engaged in hunting and fishing. Respondents also expressed concerns about habitat
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Forest and Freshwater Foods Project
- 1. FOREST AND FRESHWATER FOODS PROJECT WHERE TRADITION MEETS OPPORTUNITY
- 3. GOAL: to ensure the resiliency of forest food systems in northern Ontario through education, outreach and land use planning
- 4. RESEARCH: role of FFWF in communities for food, wellbeing, economic resilience
- 5. EDUCATE: sustainable harvesting practices, food options, values on the landscape
- 6. ADVOCATE: Conservation of ecological systems that support FFWFs. Inclusion in planning decisions.
- 7. Northern Ontario: -Nearly 800 000 -Over 2/3 provincial landmass -Ethnically -Mostly diverse rural and remote communities
- 8. REPORT: Forest and Freshwater Foods Value of FFWF: ecological, social, economic wellbeing alternative forest economy Used to stimulate dialogue in the region
- 9. SURVEY What is the nature and extent of forest and freshwater food use in northern Ontario. What kinds of plants, animals and fish? -How much? How often? -What are peoples’ motivations? -
- 10. PRELIMINARY RESULTS Hunting, fishing and gathering are important activities in their communities (83%). Forest foods are an income supplement (+70% for hunting and fishing). Respondents are concerned about: - habitat loss (70%), - industrial pollution (66%) - lack of skill sharing (61%)
- 12. Local Food Act amended Thanks to MPP Ernie Hardeman and Minister Michael Gravelle!
Editor's Notes
- Ontario Nature is a charitable conservation organization – we’ve been protecting wild species and wild spaces in Ontario for over 80 years – offices in Toronto and Thunder Bay – the FFWF project is run out of the TB office
- - True North Community Co-op: is a non-profit, community-based co-operative in Thunder Bay, Ontario aimed at building community resilience in Northern Ontario through a stronger localized economy. The co-operative provides an opportunity for regional producers to market their goods at a fair price and for Northern Ontarians to access quality, regionally produced foods and handcrafts. -initiated by Joseph LeBlanc who is the current president -Environment North – Thunder Bay – based environmental not-for-profit that strives to improve and protect the ecological sustainability and socio-economic well-being of Northwestern Ontario
- -our three organizations are working together to protect and promote forest food systems -we believe this is important for both community and ecosystem health -we need to sustain forest and freshwater food systems -and to do that we need to raise awareness about their value and garner support for their protection and sustainable use -we’re doing this through three broad approaches: research, education and advocacy
- -the project began in 2012, supported by grants from Ontario Trillium Foundation and MEC. -the initial focus was on research – pulling together existing information on the value and benefits of forest and freshwater foods to northern communities. -we looked broadly at the environmental, cultural, economic and health benefits of these foods -the two key components of the research were a literature review and a survey of forest and freshwater food users. This includes the report and the survey project
- -we are in the early days of our education efforts around FFWF -so far, we’ve done some foraging workshops (extremely popular) – with a focus on identification and sustainable harvest -we’ve been going to community events and fairs to distribute pamphlets and talk to people about FFWF – this has been important for our survey work as well -and we’re working on educational materials – the report as well as a Land Use Planning tool kit to support communities that want to document and map their FFWF resources so that these values can be highlighted during forest management planning and other land use planning exercises
- -We hope to influence land use planning in northern Ontario – to ensure that the values and benefits of FFWF systems are adequately accounted for during land use planning exercises. - our basic premise is that FFWF systems are key to the health and well-being of human and natural communities – and that we’d better take care of them.
- -when we talk about northern Ontario, this is what we’re talking about: a very big place, with several hundred thousand people spread out over vast distances -the people who live there are diverse, many urban, but mostly living in rural and remote communities. -when we talk about FFWF we’re talking about a region-wide way of life that transcends ethnicity and values FFWF in diverse and meaningful ways.
- -purpose of the report: bring together existing information on the value of FFWF and on the little understood “alternative forest economy” associated with these foods -overall approach was not simply to write a report but to use it to draw people in and to stimulate dialogue -So we identified key people/groups to review the draft and we sought as much media coverage as possible on the project (interviews with Dougall media, CBC, Fan 590 and several press release and newspaper articles). -We decided to do something a little different with the information – we put our draft report online as a draft and invited comment - rather than going straight into publication -To date 7 people have provided comments – interesting: in some cases, provide local perspective – e.g. signs of climate change in Hearst (can grow corn there now) and the issue of lack of access to training workshops about harvesting in Dryden -another suggested we add nuts to our understanding of forest foods -others commented on broader land use planning issues and the contentious issue of licensing vs. the right to collect food anywhere on Crown land. -the next step will be to incorporate these comments into our final draft and proceed with publishing – hopefully within the next few months.
- -our other important research piece has been a survey of forest and freshwater food stakeholders in northern Ontario. We’ve conducted the survey through face-to-face meetings as well as on-line. -Through the survey we wanted to understand what forest and freshwater foods people were taking/gathering, why they were doing this, and what they perceived to be threats to their use of these resources. -we were aiming for 300 surveys completed, and we got almost twice that (588), so we’re really pleased – and we’re now in the middle of analyzing the results.
- -FFWF are important to communities – survey really underscored their social and cultural value – it’s about being out on the land and doing things together and participating in traditions that are handed down through the generations -FFWFs are also important from an economic perspective – first because they’re foods that people don’t have to buy in a grocery store but also because they represent a business opportunity: over 80% of respondents said they would buy FFWFs if they were more widely available -at the same time - respondents identified a number of concerns when asked what they felt were the greatest threats to FFWFs. They did not feel that over- or under-regulating was a problem, and over-harvesting was a smaller concern also.
- -Alex Boulet, project coordinator and Youth Summit for Biodiversity workshops
- -Hardeman: Oxford PC -Michael Gravelle: Thunder Bay Liberal -so support from north and south, across party lines
- Forest and Freshwater Food video