What would motivate 269 Shuswap residents to join an Eat Local Challenge, by which they tracked what they ate on a chart for two months? This was only one of many projects taken on by Shuswap Food Action's Eat Local project, which accomplished more than expected during its nine month's of funding in 2006.

Jen Gamble, coordinator of Eat Local, who said the Challenge event was "wildly successful" as an awareness raiser, can list the reasons why all of us should pay more attention to where our food comes from. "Anytime you can move your food dollars closer its better for the health of the local food system," she said. "Bringing food dollars closer to home reduces the use of fossil fuels and supports the conservation of your own community and landscape. We are losing the ability to feed ourselves and when you lose that you are beholden to the people who feed you."

According to Gamble trucking food adds thousands of kilometers of emissions to the environment. "There are sites where you can calculate "food miles" such as the LifeCycles Project Society," she said.

She also points out that food that has been shipped has been proven to have lower nutrient value and poorer taste. An article in Harrowsmith magazine in February 2007 quotes a scientist on the characteristics being sought in tomatoes to be shipped and neither taste nor nutrition are on the list. "I can't bring myself to buy tomatoes in the winter," she said. "Instead I look forward to the first tomato of the season. Once you start tasting your food again you don't want to go back. We're losing our tie to the seasons with our lifestyle. We want strawberries in January."

Gamble is most personally distressed over the loss of farmland and the fact that farmers can't make a living because of this modern lifestyle. "It's very important to support the farmers we have because if they can't make a living doing it they will stop. We have to create a dependable demand for their product," she said. She added that it is prohibitive for young farmers to buy land and it's unrealistic to expect aging farmers to sell for nothing. "It's a hard balance to strike," she said, pointing to a website in Vermont which seeks to make matches.

This issue hits close to home for Gamble, who is looking to buy a farm with her husband Eric. She was brought up in Armstrong, but ironically discovered farming when she moved east, where she spent six years in the industry in Vermont and Quebec. He has farmed for 12 years.

Gamble has tried to educate people about what they can do to be a part of the solution. "Consumers have a lot of power that they don't realize they have. I tell them to go into the grocery store and ask, 'Is this Armstrong asparagus?' Get the produce manager out and quiz him about where things are from and make sure he sees you buy the local product."

Eat Local sponsored gourmet meals created by chef Rob Sengotta in which all the food was local - one directed at the business community, one aimed at youth and a pay event for the public. They were well attended and information was provided about all the suppliers. They are also putting together a directory for the area. "You can't expect people to eat locally if they don't know where to find the food," she said.

They also supported a youth kitchen that will be used for teaching. "We've lost a whole skill set around canning and preserving when things are in season," she said. And they had a booth at the IPE with a mini mock store showcasing local products, a regular column in the local paper called Food a'Faire and a coffee tasting co-sponsored with an art gallery.

What now? The dedicated group is seeking funding for a community demonstration garden to give people the tools they need to grow their own produce. They are hoping that as many communities as possible will follow the example of this pilot project and are willing to share everything they have developed along the way. Catch Gamble quickly before gardening season begins at www.shuswapfoodaction.ca

April 07,Lynn Dewing