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The integration of the food system into the land-use planning framework in southern Ontario

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Date

2021-08

Authors

Saraf-Uiterlinden, Shilpi

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Abstract

Food security is integral to the health and well-being of communities. However, regional food systems, which (in part) facilitate food security are unevenly acknowledged in Ontario’s land-use planning framework. The intersection of regional food systems, provincial land-use planning and policy development processes is well known. However, the primary focus of this relationship by decision-makers is generally the financial outcomes of the agricultural sector and the food system, and how to leverage the planning framework to maximize profits, for the benefit of economic development. As a result, public health considerations, environmental values and the right to nutritious and sustainable food may be less prioritized, rendering gaps in the way we manage this critical resource. This study seeks to understand how Ontario’s current land-use planning framework can be adapted, to expand inclusion and consideration of the nonmarket values of regional food systems to achieve comprehensive regional food security in Ontario. Using a foodshed approach, I developed a rubric to evaluate land-use planning frameworks across Canada and two American jurisdictions to better understand the state of food systems in relation to planning. I conducted a Jurisdictional Scan to report my findings and conducted interviews with subject matter experts to understand the current interactions between the food system and planning in Ontario. The results of my research study indicate that while food systems are almost completely absent from Ontario’s planning framework, there are many lessons learned and best practices that can be integrated in Ontario. Furthermore, there is an infrastructure in place that can be expanded through amendments to existing legislative, regulatory and policy infrastructure to include more comprehensively food systems in the planning system.

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Keywords

Environmental land-use planning, Food security, Food policy, Policy deficiencies, Grassroots

Citation

Major Paper, Master of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University

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