LAUREN BAKER FOOD ASSET MAPPING IN TORONTO AND GREATER GOLDEN HORSESHOE REGION1 LAUREN BAKER 216 ISOCARP FOOD ASSET MAPPING IN TORONTO AND GREATER GOLDEN HORSESHOE REGION » The purpose of the mapping project was to provide a baseline for planners and policy mak- ers to: 1. understand, promote and strengthen the regional food system, 2. provide information to enable analysis to inform decision making; and, 3. plan for resilience in the face of climate variability and socio, economic, and political vulnerability. « Figure 1: The bounty of the Greenbelt harvest season. Photo credit: Joan Brady REVIEW 12 217 LAUREN BAKER The City of Toronto is the largest City in Canada the third largest food processing and manufac- with a population of 2.6 million people (2011). turing cluster in North America, and the clus- The City is known as one of the most multicul- ter uses over 60% of the agricultural products tural cities in the world, with over 140 languages grown in Ontario3. Agriculture and the broader spoken. Immigrants account for 46% of Toron- food system contribute $11 billion and 38,000 to’s population, and one third of newcomers to jobs to the provincial economy, generating $1.7 Canada settle in the city2. Needless to say, diets billion in tax revenue. are extremely diverse. This represents an oppor- In 2005 a Greenbelt was created to contain tunity for the food and agriculture sector in On- urban growth and protect the natural and cul- tario, one that many organizations are seizing. tural heritage of the region. The Greenbelt pro- The region surrounding the City of Toronto, tects 7% of Ontario’s farmland, approximately known as the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH), 856,424 acres and 5501 farms4, mostly outside is made up of 21 upper and single tier munici- of urban communities clustered in the Golden palities. This region is Canada’s fastest growing, Horseshoe and around the City of Toronto. with a population of 8.7 million in 2011 which is In Canada, the agricultural policy framework projected to grow to 13.5 million by 2041. The is established by the federal government. Land region is plagued by traffic congestion, inad- use policy is under the jurisdiction of the prov- equate infrastructure, loss of agricultural land ince (Ontario) and administered by municipal and natural spaces to urban development, and governments. This framework and the resulting storm water management challenges. Efforts to policies and programs directly shape agricultural densify the built environment and better plan production. While land use policy is directed and urban communities could lead to healthier, sus- defined by the province, the way those definitions tainable and resilient communities. are interpreted across municipalities can vary. In this same GGH region forty-two percent The regulation of food and agriculture in- of Ontario’s best quality farmland is located, volves over 19 ministries including Ontario representing half of the land area. The region Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, produces a mix of crops including grains and Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Min- oilseed, fruit and vegetables, floriculture, live- istry of Economic Development, Employment stock and other specialty crops. Two provincially and Infrastructure, Ministry of Health and Long- designated specialty crop areas define the re- Term Care, and the Ministry of Environment and gion: the Niagara Peninsula known for tender Climate Change. The provincial land use policy fruit production and the Holland Marsh known statement has recently been revised to accom- for vegetable production. The GGH is known as modate new forms of agriculture, in particu- Figure 2: Tomatoes grown in the Holland Marsh, a vege- table specialty crop region. Photo credit: Lauren Baker 218 ISOCARP FOOD ASSET MAPPING IN TORONTO AND GREATER GOLDEN HORSESHOE REGION lar to support on-farm, value-added activities. WHAT ARE FOOD ASSETS? However, farmers state that the current provin- Food asset planning is an emerging field. Food cial land use policy framework supports urban assets relate to the growing interest in food en- development over farmland preservation, inhib- vironments emerging from both the planning iting the viability of the agricultural sector5. and public health literature, as well as the lit- Little is known about the historic changes and erature on strengthening regional value chain shifts in food assets over time in the City of To- connections. For example, the American Plan- ronto and Greater Golden Horseshoe Region. ning Association’s Policy Guide on Commu- The flow and diversity of the population impacts nity and Regional Food Planning, published farming, food processing and manufacturing, in 2007, recommends that planners “provide the food retail environment, neighborhood mar- data and mapping support to community and kets and green grocers, but none of this is well regional food assessments, including the inci- documented. What is known is that agricultural dence of food insecurity and location of diverse production has shifted over time to access new food assets” and develop policies and plans to markets and market opportunities. Overall the enhance these assets8. number of farms has diminished greatly over Food assets are a key component of inte- the past 50 years, as have the number of food grated food planning and have not been fully processing outlets6. Food manufacturing and considered in the planning practice or litera- processing has been centralized and consoli- ture. Food assets include the local food infra- dated in the Greater Toronto Area and over half structure that ensure food secure communities of the Ontario food processing facilities are lo- and regions - farms, processing and distribution cated in the Golden Horseshoe. capacity, food enterprises, markets, retailers, Food insecurity is a persistent problem in the community gardens, urban farms, community Golden Horseshoe, with over 12% of the popula- gardens, community kitchens, student nutri- tion in Toronto reporting insecure access to ad- tion programs, emergency food distribution, equate food due to financial constraints.7 Over and community food organizations or centers. time, Toronto’s food advocates have actively The concept of food assets can be expanded built a network of community food programs to to include waste facilities, agricultural inputs, address food insecurity, enhance food security urban orchards, and non-physical assets such and increase access to healthy food. These in- as funding, investment opportunities, services, itiatives directly connect to the City of Toronto’s political support, etc. diverse communities and priorities related to health, poverty reduction, and social equity. Figure 3: Evergreen Brick Works Farmer’s Market in Toronto. Photo credit: Lauren Baker REVIEW 12 219 LAUREN BAKER FOOD ASSET MAPPING BY THE Figure 4: A produce auction managed GOLDEN HORSESHOE FOOD AND by Mennonites in Elmira, Ontario. Photo credit: Lauren Baker FARMING ALLIANCE The development of the Golden Horseshoe age Park, Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Eco- Food and Farming Action Plan 2021 created a source, Food and Beverage Ontario, the Regions framework for action to keep food and farming of Durham, Halton, Niagara, Peel, York and the a strong economic driver in this highly urbanized Cities of Hamilton and Toronto, as well as local area. The Plan identifies pathways for a more representatives from the food and farming value integrated and coordinated approach to food chain. This group acts as a regional governance and farming viability in the area to ensure that and coordination body, supporting initiatives the Golden Horseshoe retains, enhances and that enhance agriculture and the economic, so- expands its role as a leading food and farming cial, and cultural viability of the food and agricul- cluster (Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming ture sector. The first phase to asset mapping was Alliance, 2012). The next event was the estab- undertaken by the Alliance in 2013. lishment of the Golden Horseshoe Food and The purpose of the mapping project was to Farming Alliance. The Alliance was established provide a baseline for planners and policy mak- in 2013, after the development of the Action ers to: 1. understand, promote and strengthen Plan. The Alliance is comprised of the Niagara the regional food system, 2. provide information Agricultural Policy and Action Committee, the to enable analysis to inform decision making; Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, the and, 3. plan for resilience in the face of climate Friends of the Greenbelt, the Ontario Ministry variability and socio, economic, and political of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Vineland vulnerability. Mapping also provides a method Research and Innovation Centre, Holland Marsh to assess and track local food assets as a way to Growers’ Association, Durham College, Holland strengthen the “food cluster” and connect farm- Marsh Growers, Niagara College, Country Herit- ers with processors, manufacturers, and new 220 ISOCARP Figure 5: Types of agri-food assests markets. Planners hope to use the information opportunities/challenges of the food and to understand how land use policy and econom- farming sector ic development programs can best support the · To move from anecdotal to quantifiable agri-food sector and the implementation of the understanding of the sector Food and Farming Action Plan 2021. · To identify where government can best sup- The Alliance asset mapping project was guid- port industry and policy development ed by a steering committee of regional planners · For reporting and economic development officers. In addi- · To increase viability of agriculture in the tion, a workshop about sharing the results of greenbelt the asset mapping project attracted economic · To work collaboratively across the region and development officers, policy/landuse/GIS/en- across the food system vs municipality by vironmental planners, public health staff, staff municipality from the Board of Trade and staff from the On- · For regional food system assessment tario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural · To define a new economic cluster for the region Affairs (OMAFRA).