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Island Agriculture and the Future of Food
September 2022 / By: Diana
Interested in the future of food production on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands? Join the 2022 ‘State of the Island’ Economic Summit to engage in the following sessions:
Island Agriculture and the Future of Food: Part 1 – What’s Happening On The Ground? (Agri-Food Entrepreneurs Panel)
The agriculture and food industry is facing a confluence of forces—climate change, escalating land values, rising costs, supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, and lack of processing capacity, to name just a few. Why have these agri-food entrepreneurs invested on the Island? What future do they see? What obstacles have they overcome? And what can we do to encourage more producers and processors to invest on the Island?
Moderator
Panelists
Island Agriculture and the Future of Food: Part 2 – How Do We Strengthen Our Local Food Systems? (Industry Development Panel)
Local commercial scale food production is more important now than ever. We all say we want greater food security and self-sufficiency. So, what are we doing about it? Building on the vision shared by agri-food entrepreneurs in Part 1, this panel of industry development experts will explore ways to remove barriers, create incentives, and attract investment to increase food production in the Island region.
Moderator
Panelists
Food Systems Technology & Innovation
One of the Tech & Innovation Showcase sessions presented by the Innovation Island Technology Association, Premier Sponsor for the 2022 Economic Summit. Hear from three Island-based companies with new ideas – stay tuned for more details
The Future of Finfish Aquaculture – The ‘Net’ Effect of Industry Change
Salmon farming, which stared in BC 1970, has seen tremendous growth over the last 50 years becoming BC’s number one agriculture export. It provides over 1,000 jobs and contributes over $500M to the provincial GDP. Like any new rapidly growing sector, salmon farming has also been the subject of much concern and debate resulting in several reviews over the years resulting in change. The most recent review was initiated in 2019 when DFO was given a mandate to develop a “responsible plan to transition from open net-pen salmon farming in coastal British Columbia waters by 2025”.
Join the ‘The Future of Finfish Aquaculture – The ‘Net’ Effect of Industry Change’ session at the ‘State of the Island’ Economic Summit to gather different perspectives on transition and understand what it means. It is not about whether to farm salmon; rather, how best to farm salmon and contribute to coastal communities and economies while ensuring that salmon farming does not impact the conservation of fish and fish habitat.
Moderator
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Dr. Myron Roth, Ph.D., P.Ag., Team Lead, Aquaculture & Marine Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture & Food
Panelists
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Dallas Smith, Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship
Island Good is on the Summit Menu!
Did you know the idea for Island Good started in 2013 when VIEA decided to serve only foods that are Island Good at a luncheon it was hosting? A board member was given a budget and tasked with purchasing foods for the event. What seemed like a simple enough task, turned into a scavenger hunt as the VIEA shopper combed the shelves and display cases of local grocery stores for Island food products. The products could be found on grocery shelves, but a great deal of diligence and label reading was required to source those goods.
Now Island Good consists of over 230 businesses and we are excited to feature many of the food and beverage companies on the menu at the Economic Summit, including salmon from Summit Gold Sponsor, Grieg Seafood and delicious yogurt donated from Tree Island Yogurt!
