Ontario is facing an escalating food security crisis, with food banks reporting unprecedented demand and rural communities increasingly unable to afford basic nutrition. In response, a new policy proposal is gaining traction among local leaders and agricultural advocates: the creation of provincially designated “food belts” to permanently protect farmland and strengthen local food systems.

Recent data paint a sobering picture. More than one million Ontarians accessed food banks between April 2023 and March 2024, a 25% increase over the previous year and nearly double the figures from four years prior. According to Feed Ontario’s 2024 Hunger Report, food bank use has surged across every region, including traditionally self-sufficient rural areas like Grey-Bruce, where the cost of a nutritious food basket consumes over 40% of a family’s income on Ontario Works. In Northumberland County, the monthly shortfall between assistance levels and basic expenses surpasses $1,300 even before rent is considered.

Amid this growing crisis, Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner has introduced the concept of food belts, designated agricultural zones protected from development, designed to ensure ongoing food production close to population centres. The idea has received support from municipal officials, including Markham and Waterloo Region councillors, who are increasingly alarmed by the pace at which farmland is being lost to suburban sprawl.

Between 2016 and 2021, Ontario lost over 620,000 acres of farmland, according to the 2021 Census of Agriculture. That represents more than 1,200 farms, not phased out due to productivity or retirement, but lost to development and land speculation. Once prime agricultural land is paved over, it is virtually impossible to restore, raising serious concerns about the province’s long-term food capacity.

In Waterloo Region, where one in eight households now reports food insecurity, the link between land use and hunger is becoming clearer. Eleven percent of those turning to food banks come from households with at least one working adult, reflecting broader structural challenges beyond poverty alone. At the same time, 50% of food banks have been forced to reduce services, while 40% have cut back on the amount of food distributed, according to Feed Ontario.

Food belts are proposed as a systemic solution. Modeled in part on the province’s existing Greenbelt, food belts would differ by prioritizing food production rather than simply preserving green space. Enabling legislation, potentially through amendments to Ontario’s Planning Act or the Provincial Policy Statement, would establish a policy framework, followed by municipal implementation through Official Plans and comprehensive land-use reviews.

The food belt model would involve identifying prime agricultural lands for protection, particularly in high-growth regions such as the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Within these zones, land use would be restricted to agricultural and food-related purposes, including greenhouses, food processing, and housing for seasonal farm workers. Non-agricultural development would be prohibited or tightly regulated.

To support farmers within the belts, advocates suggest a suite of provincial incentives. These could include property tax relief, grants for sustainable practices, support for young and new farmers, and investment in local food infrastructure such as processing facilities and distribution hubs. The intent is to foster both agricultural stability and economic opportunity in rural areas.

Crucially, food belts would not operate in isolation. Stakeholder engagement would be central to their design and implementation, involving farmers, Indigenous communities, conservationists, and municipal planners. A provincial oversight body could monitor compliance, enforce regulations, and report on agricultural output and environmental indicators within the belts.

Beyond farmland protection, proponents argue that food belts represent a strategic investment in Ontario’s long-term food resilience. By shortening supply chains, reducing reliance on imported goods, and anchoring food production within commuting distance of major urban centres, food belts could help the province navigate future disruptions caused by climate change, inflation, and geopolitical instability.

“Simply put, we cannot eat subdivisions,” Schreiner has said, warning that continued inaction could erode Ontario’s ability to feed itself. The Green Party’s position echoes findings from agricultural policy experts who have long cautioned that land-use planning must be treated as a food security issue, not just an environmental or economic concern.

As of 2024, Ontario’s policy landscape lacks a formal mechanism to establish food belts, though growing public and political interest may push the province to act. For now, the concept remains in the realm of advocacy and municipal discussion, but pressure is mounting.

With food insecurity no longer confined to urban poverty and food banks unable to keep pace, the proposal for food belts offers a rare convergence of long-term strategy and immediate relevance. Whether Queen’s Park chooses to seize the moment remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that Ontario’s food future will depend not only on how the land is farmed, but on whether that land remains farmland at all.

Sources
• CBC News: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/foodbelt-reaction-schreiner-markham-councillors-1.7536995
• Feed Ontario Hunger Report 2024: https://feedontario.ca/research/hunger-report-2024
• Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture 2021: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220511/dq220511b-eng.htm
• Greenbelt Act, 2005: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/05g01
• Grey Bruce Public Health: https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca
• HKPR Health Unit (Northumberland): https://www.hkpr.on.ca