Agriculture must be sustainable over the long term

Back in the 1970s, Canada’s smallest province, since time immemorial a place renowned for its quiet way of life, rolling pasturelands, and gorgeous beaches, began the process of what would ultimately revolutionize the way agriculture is done here.

Although small farms are slowly making a comeback on the Island landscape, large-scale, industrial farming, a concept that is relatively new to our province, one that is based on increasing amounts of arable land being concentrated in fewer hands, has largely been accepted as they way things should be done.  

While it is inconceivable that we as a society can simply snap our fingers and return to a time as simple as a century ago or even further back, shouldn't we try to meet halfway and perhaps question if the model of corporate agriculture being used across much of the province is going to be sustainable over the long term?

Let's be frank here; some of these agricultural practices, which are definitely more suited to larger regions of the country, are not farming but mining the land, thus running the risk that our precious soil could one day become unusable. Furthermore, as industrial farming operations demand more farmland and often cajole provincial officials into bending the rules of the Lands Protection Act, the price of farmland continues to rise, thus putting more obstacles in the path of future generations who not only want to get into farming as a career but in the case of many people, as food prices continue to climb along with global instability, as a way to feed themselves and their families.

Perhaps it's a tad too idealistic or optimistic to believe that the genie can be put back into the bottle, but then again, in times of crisis, people make great changes. Can we find a way to make small and medium-sized farming operations more lucrative? It has been suggested that PEI has the potential to go completely organic regarding its food production. Does that sound like a bit of a stretch, or perhaps something which can be implemented, provided the political will is there to make these changes?

Furthermore, we should strive to follow agricultural practices that not only make the most of smaller plots of land but do not waste any food, which unfortunately happened a year ago due to potato blight being found in a field, thus resulting in the destruction of over 300 million pounds of potatoes.

If you are concerned about the state of our province, no doubt you also have concerns about the long-term sustainability of corporate agriculture on the island. What are your thoughts on this issue? The Island Party of Prince Edward Island values your input and ideas.

Chris McGarry