Southwest BC Bioregion Food System Design Project

About

The Southwest BC Bioregion Food System Design Project was a four year, multi-disciplinary research project initiated by ISFS to provide regionally specific, data-driven information about:

• The potential to increase Southwest BC food production and processing for local markets
• Whether and to what extent increasing local food production could improve food self-reliance, benefit the provincial economy, and create jobs
• The potential to reduce some detrimental environmental impacts from food production in Southwest BC.

The project modelled a number of future food system scenarios that represent possible outcomes of choices we face. When compared to our current situation, these outcomes can be used to help identify and understand the impacts of decisions we might make, the options and outcomes that we could seek to achieve. 

Project Reports

Full project report

Presents all project findings in a non-technical format appropriate for a wide range of non-expert audiences.

• Executive summary:  The Future of our Food System: Summary of the Southwest BC Bioregion Food System Destign Project 
• Complete report: The Future of Our Food System: Report on the Southwest BC Bioregion Food System Design Project

Research briefs

Present project findings specific to each of the project indicators in greater detail and include an explanation of the research methods.

• Delineating the Southwest British Columbia Bioregion for Food System Study and Design
• Food Self-Reliance Status of the Southwest BC Bioregion in 2011 
• Modeling Future Capacity for Land-Based Food Self-Reliance in a Regionalized Food System 
• The Ecological Footprint of Food Consumption in a Regionalized Food System
• Economic Impacts of a Regionalized Food System in the Southwest British Columbia Bioregion
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Food Production in a Regionalized Food System
• Carbon stocks and the Impact of Agricultural Expansion in a Regionalized Food System
• Nutrient Balance of a Regionalized Food System in Southwest BC Bioregion
• SWBC project research brief_Biodiversity_Final.pdf

Peer-reviewed publications

The most detailed level of reporting available from the project. Some peer-reviewed publications are forthcoming so please check back for updates. 

• Delineating the Southwest British Columbia Bioregion for Food System Design and Planning: A Practical Approach
• A Novel Methodology to Assess Land-Based Food Self-Reliance in the Southwest British Columbia Bioregion
• Additional peer-reviewed publications will be added as they become available

Other publications

The following reports were released prior to the project's completion. 

• Economics of Southwest British Columbia Food Systems 1: Overview of Farming Operations
• Economics of Southwest British Columbia Food Systems 2: Additional Commentary on Farm Finance and Employment
• ISFS_Phase-1-Stakeholder-Engagement-Report.pdf

Project Support