Melissa Samms
What is your story (organization & social issue) and why is it important to share it with others (e.g. your community, province, Atlantic Canada, etc.)?
Establishing a teaching garden and farm in my area would be an amazing way to engage the local population to pass down knowledge some people don’t even realise we’re losing. In discussing the matter with my own father, who grew up on a small farm, it was apparent that he knew a lot about the processes of homesteading that I had never heard from anyone before. Things like when to cut your wood so it doesn’t rot quickly, how to stack it so it seasons well, when to plant and harvest in our area, and even the type of manure and the difference it makes. To be able to re-establish that knowledge and teach it to others would be an amazing way to look to the future of our communities in Codroy Valley and throughout the Southwest Coast. In a larger scope, food security in Newfoundland and Labrador has become tenuous over the last few decades. The province has become very reliant on external food sources, despite the fact that there is excellent farmland in many areas, including my own. There are two grocery stores in Port-aux-Basques, and only stocks selected produce from within the province – mainly root vegetables. So, when the boat gets delayed (which is often in winter), produce supplies deplete pretty rapidly. To be able to mitigate the risks of food insecurity in any way would be extremely beneficial to my community, region, and (hopefully, eventually) my province, as well as personally fulfilling.
How does Your Organization Propose to Raise the Profile of your Social Issue?
Identify your “social issue” – Food insecurity is a huge problem in Newfoundland and Labrador. While there are few “food deserts” in the province, there are a lot of what have been termed “food swamps” – when processed foods are easily accessible, but fresh produce and other healthy foods are difficult.
How and who does your “social issue” affect in the community? Nutrition is a critical component of any community or society. Food affects the stability of entire nations because food is the primary qualitative (and quantitative) component of life. You can have as many other programs and jobs as you want, but if the population is hungry it won’t help. If a population is sustained on low quality food, as in the “food swamps” of Newfoundland and Labrador, their quality of life is greatly affected by impacting people’s health. Removing people from the process of growing and cooking food increases reliance on low quality, heavily processed food, and removes the sense of autonomy from the most fundamental choice that people have – what to eat. This affects low income portions of the population the most, as fresh vegetables and wholesome ingredients are often more accessible to people with more disposable income. In my opinion, food choices should not be dictated by disposable income and should be accessible at all levels of society and economic classes. In Newfoundland and Labrador, this issue is exacerbated by the high cost of produce, particularly in winter. The disparity in the availability of food in my province is staggering; when I lived in St. John’s for a few years, it almost didn’t matter how late the ferry was. If I went to the grocery store I could find anything I needed. Meanwhile, grocery stores in Port aux Basques were running out of produce entirely.
