Food Systems Snapshot
An 18 month, on-the-ground, peer research project on our local food system.
Overview
The Food Systems Snapshot project is a multi-year, community-driven research project that’s facilitating conversations, drawing conclusions from the lived experience of our farmers and food systems actors on the ground, and gathering data to better support and plan for sustainability and growth in our local food system. .
There are a lot of studies out there… a deeply researched Agricultural Area Plan, land use surveys, economic impact studies, and the StatsCan Agricultural census. None speak to the practical details of the Sunshine Coast to truly impact innovation and investment locally, but cumulatively, they’re an informed launch pad for diving deeper.
The Food Systems Snapshot helps by:
- Providing baseline data from which to work and measure future initiatives
- Bridging the gap between local production and emergency food
- Providing insight into how we can combat food waste at every stage from field to plate.
- Highlighting the important, lived experiences of our local food producers
- Showcasing business opportunities that have the potential to contribute to overall increases in food security.
Project Details
Compounding on the 2021 Agricultural Census and the Sunshine Coast Regional District’s Agricultural Area Plan, One Straw Society is leading a project to gather this critical, missing data on what we produce, where we produce it, how much, who buys and eats it, barriers to change or producing more, and how that compares to previous and future years in our region and others. We hope to update this every 4 years, providing comparative data over time.
Data is gathered from peer-to-peer, farmer-to-farmer interviews, and will provide valuable qualitative and data and insight, above and beyond quantitative data that often does not accurately represent lived experience and impact.
This research project was made possible by the Real Estate Foundation of BC.
Get involved & Learn more
Paid peer farmer interviewers opportunities exist (next round will be 2026), to have conversations with other farmers using a template of questions. Flexibility as to how, where, and when these take place is critical to ensure comfort, trust, and usable stories and data. To view past research that the Food Systems Snapshot is building from, see here: We Envision, Ag Plan.
To get involved in the project or learn more, contact us at info@onestraw.ca.
