Our farm community has struggled for years with rising costs and stagnant returns while the rest of the world just shrugged their shoulders. Current economic difficulties for society have suddenly loomed out of the darkness with financial indicators dropping out of sight. Plants have closed, consumers have backed off, the work force, aimed at producing cars or gadgets, has collapsed, jobs are lost; we are in a serious recession if not a depression.

The last thing most people have in mind is the woes of the agricultural industry.

A Globe and Mail article put things into perspective (Ontario institutions will buy locally produced food, Premier says, Apr. 7, 2009).

Ostensibly the economic problems being faced by industry are being reviewed. More significantly there is a realization that production of food could be one potential solution to our economic problems, i.e. farming employment. We need to encourage food production in Ontario to provide jobs and keep people eating.

The article makes no mention of the even greater problem we're facing. Fossil fuel, hence global warming, is involved in the transportation of food from California. Climate change due to emissions is a long term concern which will impact dangerously on our grandchildren if we don't take action now. Production and consumption of locally produced food not only benefits our grass roots economy but also reduces CO2 emissions.

A major economic factor with the loss of so many manufacturing jobs is the shortfall of income for those who have lost their jobs. This is showing up in society's increasing need for food banks. An important aspect is local production of food, especially in our urban areas. The construction industry has converted thousands of acres of farm land to housing. What is often forgotten is that the family home occupies only part of a city lot. There is still the opportunity for combining muscle power and relatively inexpensive seed to supply crops hence reducing the cost of buying food.

Potential production solutions are rooftop gardens, the use of 'non productive' lands such as hydro rights of way, as well as lands and buildings devoted to schools and churches. The area of flat topped roofs in industrial and business parks presents other possibilities.

Employees are a pool of cheap labour for production of goods for their own food baskets.

It is interesting to note that residents of some cities already tend to be active in the field of urban farming.

Many are involved in producing food on whatever space is immediately available. If city folk in urban centres such as Vancouver can make a significant difference to their food supply there is no reason why this shouldn't be a more common practice. Of equal benefit is the use of local produce by stores and restaurants.

It is encouraging to read that the media are preaching about what we could be doing to encourage such economic activity. Governments are pumping billions of taxpayers dollars into bailing out mismanaged auto and gasoline industries.

Closure of many manufacturing establishments is resulting in laying off staff and increasing the number of personal bankruptcies. Large scale government deficits, especially after the years of fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets to which we have become accustomed, are not what we voted for. Support for people in financial difficulties would be far more worth while policies and could be more effective for the economy.

At a time of crisis it becomes important for everyone to help find solutions. With any kind of encouragement the rank and file of Canadian citizens will step up to the plate.

The kind of help needed is the support of other structures. From a volunteer perspective there are many non-government organizations which could partner with citizens in each community. Industry in particular could show good faith by sharing land and rooftops with their employees. And of course if governments find it politically correct to bail out large segments of industry surely they can find the resources to work together with the rest of the population to get us back on the rails.

This economic disaster can be overcome.