Peak Oil & Food

Our food system has been built on a foundation of oil (gasoline, pesticides, fertilizers). As we reach the highest use of oil-dependent practices ever, we are also reaching a critical point in the availability of this finite resource. Peak Oil has been the term used to describe the point in time when extraction of oil from the earth reaches its highest point and then begins to decline. We won't be able to say with certainty when we have reached peak oil until after the fact. Many experts say we have already reached the peak.

How can the world's population be fed without the extensive use of fossil fuels in the production, processing and distribution of food? What changes can we make to implement food security at the local level, while promoting popular education, public health and community control?

Guests/Pre-Recorded Presentation

Wayne Roberts - Project Coordinator for the Toronto Food Policy Council, and regular contributor to Toronto's NOW Magazine. In a recent presentation hosted by the Vancouver Public Library and the Necessary Voices Society, Dr. Wayne Roberts helped tackle the question, "What will we eat when the oil runs out?" We hear clips from this presentation

Charles Levkoe - Urban Agriculture Coordinator The Stop Community Food Centre. The Stop Community Food Centre in Toronto, strives to increase access to healthy food in a manner that maintains dignity, builds community and challenges inequality. A fixture in Toronto for over 30 years, The Stop believes that food access and security are basic human rights. Charles received a Masters degree in Food Security and Popular Education from the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University. Charles is also on the board of the American Community Gardening Association.