Photo: James Tse
According to a study by Ketchum that was reported in the February issue of Canadian Grocer magazine, 78% of Canadians would like to get their food from local farms or companies by 2020. Regrettably, this isn’t likely since as Rebecca LeHuep, executive director of the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance pointed out in the September issue of that same magazine, “by 2012, more than 60% of farmers and farm managers will be retiring. The average age of a farmer is about 57 and he doesn’t have a succession plan for his farm.” In an email correspondence Rebecca shares another grim stat that between 1991 and 2001 Ontario lost 135 of its farmers.
Beyond the fact that these stats reveal a disappointing gap between Canadian consumer aspirations and the reality of farming situation, LeHeup’s comments point out that we may be en route to becoming a society almost solely dependent on other countries for food.
Would you ever consider being a farmer? Or, if you are a farmer, is it a career choice you’d make again?
Posted in Culture, Fruits and vegetables, Gardening, Shopping, Trends Tagged: farms, food trends, local food
