canada bans soylent as it is not real food

credit: Getty Images/AFP

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency have banned food replacer Soylent as it does not meet the criteria of real food as it does “not meet a select few of the CFIA requirements for a ‘meal replacement”. The CFIA strongly recommends that it not be consumed and the meal replacement product manufactures do not understand the requirements of human nutrition.

This is not the first time the Soylent products have come under fire from the CFIA, they recalled one of their nutrition bars last year as they were making people ill. Naturally Soylent themselves naturally maintain that the problems with their products are regulatory rather than based in any fact.

Click HERE to read the full article on Eater

another free farm offer

More info here.

Modified is a gorgeous and deeply personal feature-length documentary that delves into the labyrinth of asking why, if they are labelled in 64 other world counties, are genetically modified organisms (GMOs)– not labeled on food products in Canada and the United States.

Film maker Aube Giroux (the mastermind behind Kitchen Vignettes) has entirely self-produced the film up until this point and has launched a kickstarted to cover the post-production costs. I don’t know about you, but I want to see this movie! Let’s make it happen!

 

funny in flannel (the greatest tv show that you didn’t even know you were missing)

Thanks be this morning to Canadians and and the internet! This week, we discovered that there are SO MANY episodes of Canadian sketch series The Red and Green Show up on youtube. Haven’t heard of The Red and Green Show? It’s a Home-Improvement-meets-Portlandia-meets-Cartalk kind of affair– only with quirky little original jingles in every scene. Sounds too gloriously campy to be true, you say? Well don’t take my word for it!

 

canada: stewards of irreplaceable lands (SOIL) seeks apprentices!

SOIL links Canadian farmers willing to take on and train apprentices with folks wanting to work and learn on an organic farm using sustainable practices. We aim to facilitate apprenticeships which transfer lasting knowledge to both the farmer and the apprentice. Established in 1989 as a non-profit organization, our goals are:

• To encourage the growth of sustainable agriculture in Canada
• To expose potential apprentices to a rural lifestyle. For those with little or no farming experience an apprenticeship can offer a valuable hands on learning environment in which to acquire the basic skills or even provide the basis for an agricultural career.
• To assist the farmer with the necessary support required to successfully run their organic operation. The farmers and farm community can also benefit greatly from the influx of new ideas, energy and enthusiasm of apprentices.

SOIL acts as a directory that links farm-hosts and prospective apprentices. All listings are submitted to this site by farm employers. Stewards of Irreplaceable Land makes no claims of any kind about content, accuracy, suitability, intent, comprehensiveness, or availability of positions. SOIL makes no representations or guarantees about positions listed on its website and is not responsible for safety, wages, working conditions, or other aspects of employment. It is the responsibility of prospective apprentices to take all necessary precautions when interviewing for or accepting positions, and he/she is solely responsible for obtaining necessary information concerning the employers, using caution and common sense. It is the responsibility of host farms to be aware of federal and provincial labour laws related to hiring apprentices and for apprentice training for full on-farm health and safety. SOIL provides the listing only as a public service, and the listings do not imply any recommendation by the organization.

Please feel free to contact them with any questions using the form on their website, or by emailing soilapprenticeships@gmail.com.

hydroelectric damn threatens farmland in BC

Impact of Site C Dam on B.C. Farmland Far More Dire Than Reported, Local Farmers Show

By Sarah Cox • Thursday, January 7, 2016 – 12:43
Reposted from DESMOG CANADA

“Clay and Katy Peck are just the type of young farming family that B.C. Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick says his government wants to support to ensure “a reliable food source for years to come.”

The Pecks own a 65-hectare farm in the Agricultural Land Reserve overlooking the Peace River, and are preparing for organic certification of a fruit and vegetable business to serve the northern area around Fort St. John.

The couple’s farm is high enough above the Peace River that it is not included in BC Hydro’s tally of 6,469 hectares of farmland — an area larger than all the farmland in Richmond — that will be destroyed by the Site C dam and its vast reservoir.

But the Pecks, along with other Peace Valley farmers, stand to lose significant amounts of farmland and crops to Site C in previously uncounted ways. The likely impact of Site C on agricultural land has been routinely underreported and will be far more dire than widely expected, according to scientists and information found in BC Hydro reports.

Work on the $8.8 billion dam project began in August and continues around the clock despite three on-going court cases by First Nations, missing federal government permits, and BC Hydro’s continuing failure to demonstrate the need for Site C electricity.

In addition to the agricultural land BC Hydro counts as permanently lost to Site C, another 5,900 hectares of farmland falls within what BC Hydro calls a “stability impact zone” and is at risk of destruction. BC Hydro insists a further 1,125 hectares of farmland — an area about the size of four Stanley Parks — will be lost only on a “temporary” basis during the next 10 years, but farmers and a soil scientist question whether topsoil on the land can ever be replaced.

The list of agricultural land lost temporarily to Site C includes 203 hectares of agricultural land in a Flood Impact Zone that may experience “crop losses when flooding occurs,” according to BC Hydro. Collapsing Peace River banks will create a landslide-generated wave that will sweep over an additional 174 hectares of prime farmland. Since water will not remain on the fields forever, BC Hydro does not include these areas in its tally of permanently lost farmland, even though flooding and waves can cause soil erosion and leave behind debris.

“In my view this is a permanent loss,” says Vancouver soil scientist Eveline Wolterson. “It’s like a tsunami. Essentially what it does is it eats away at topsoil. It will all get washed into the reservoir. They’ll never be able to restore those soils.””

Read the whole article on DESMOGCANADA!

age of the farmer

65 is the average age of farmers in Canada, and there are not enough young farmers to replace them… How did we get here? In the summer of 2015, Eva Verbeeck and Spencer MacDonald embarked on a trip throughout the Pacific Northwest to produce a short film on young farmers that would accompany her photo story for a variety of publications. This film is an attempt to express some of the thoughts and feelings of the young farmers they stayed with. Hopefully a little bit of justice was done for all the young farmers out there.

corroding our democracy (big oil, the canadian government, and the silencing of environmental science)

Democracy Now on the (nearly) unbelievable story of they extent to which Canada’s oil industry has stifled the country’s democracy, silenced its scientists, and crippled its environmentalist movements. It is bananas, and it is worse than you would have imagined.

“Well first of all, the government has shut down the majority of scientific research in the country that had to do with climate change. This is a government in denial […] They fired hundreds of scientists, and the ones that are left are being told that they can’t release their research to us, even though it’s tax-funded research. They are also being told that they can’t talk to the press unless they have to have a handler and it’s an approved interview. They have to have a handler from the prime minister’s office. So the scientists I’ve talked to, they’re embarrassed; they’re frustrated; they’re protesting. Last week in Canada we had thousands of scientists hit the streets in their lab coats protesting the federal government because they can’t speak. They’re being muzzled.”

sea to seed

Another inspiring sailboat project! This one is dedicated to spreading and studying resilient human culture in islands of the Coast Salish Sea. See more inspiring videos and actions by Over Grow the System.

attention canadians! your help is needed

A group of young farmers in Canada are trying to create something like the National Young Farmers Coalition. They’re still in the early stages but have just released a survey to learn who the new farmers in Canada are and what they need to be successful.

Survey Info: http://broadforkfarm.com/2015/02/11/new-farmers/

new video: permaculture orchard in quebec

Stefan Sobkowiak runs Miracle Farms, a five-acre orchard that he converted from organic monoculture to a permaculture orchard in 1993. Watch this video where he talks about abundance, biodiversity, and choosing to make a positive change.

Learn more about Miracle Farms HERE.

Follow them on Facebook HERE.

canada (halifax): new farmer roundtable

This roundtable brings together Canadian stakeholders working on new farmer issues under the New Farmers’ Initiative, a partnership of FarmStart, along with Food Secure Canada and the Canadian National Farmers’ Union Youth Coalition. The Roundtable is part of Food Secure Canada’s 8th Annual Assembly in Halifax, Nova Scotia from November 13-16th.

canada: registration is now open for acorn’s 3rd annual beginner farmer symposium

August 18th, 2014

Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick

Building on the great success of their previous Symposiums, drawing hundreds of farmers from throughout Eastern Canada, ACORN (Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network) is thrilled to once again showcase another busy day of workshops, panel discussions and prime networking opportunities for new, aspiring and experienced growers across the region.

A highlight this year:  Jean-Martin Fortier of La Jardins de la Grelinette/The Market Gardener will be joining us from St. Armand, Quebec to lead several important workshops and should not be missed!

To see the details in full, click HERE. To register, click HERE!

All proceeds from the 2014 Beginner Farmer Symposium directly support the future of ACORN’s Grow A Farmer Apprenticeship and Mentorship programs. 

 

pay-what-you-can veggie stand

An interesting model in Vancouver.  They’ve raised 30% of their goal so far.  Check it out! And pitch in if you can.

http://solefoodfarms.com/about/

Soul Food has a plan to double Vancouver’s local food production.
If you would like to see more beautiful, delicious and healthy food grown right in your neighbourhood, help us set up two new retail locations.
With retail outlets in place, we will create the capacity to significantly expand our farming operations in the next few years – growing into one of, if not the largest, urban farm in North America. That is to say, your one-time cash injection will help Sole Food significantly scale-up the urban farming movement.
But wait, there’s more: One of these locations is set in the Downtown Eastside, which will offer “pay-what-you-can” organic produce in order to bridge the gap between those who can afford our food and those who cannot.
In order to do this, we need to raise $100,000. Our start-up costs include renovation, marketing and merchandising materials, inventory, staffing, and cooling and storage infrastructure. If we make our goal we will immediately begin work to open the farm stands for the summer of 2014.

ecological market gardening in B.C.

for our Canadian readers:

And check out their website and youtube channel.

The time has never been more ripe to nourish a literacy that can help break the cycles of an unsustainable culture. The world is starved for people with the ability to enrich the planet while improving soil and the human ecology. You’ve dreamed of making a life and right livelihood growing food and raising livestock, but are unsure of how to take the next step. This spring at Linnaea Farm we will be offering two 10-day short programs to inoculate you with the ideas and techniques to get your garden growing. Covering such topics as: Sense of Place, phenology, planning & marketing, seed sowing and saving, record keeping, animal husbandry, compost & making the most of soil, pests & weeds, practical permaculture and year round cropping.