The Managing Director of Canadian Food Focus says it's important for those directly involved in agriculture to remain transparent and be prepared to answer consumers' questions.
An article circulated through canadianfoodfocus.org looks at "What it Means to Be a Family Farm in Canada."Dorothy Long, the Managing Director of Canadian Food Focus, says even though the number of farms in Canada has declined most are family farms.
Quote-Dorothy Long-Canadian Food Focus:
I think that consumers find comfort in the term family farm.I think when Canadians hear family farm, many picture people who know their land, who know their animals well, who care deeply for them, who have deep ties to their community and are really planning with the future in mind.
There's a lot of trust in family. I think words like family farm, corporate farm, factory farm, big ag, all of those carry a lot of emotional weight.
When you see them on social media and headlines, they're often a shorthand to either reassure people or raise their concerns, and sometimes without much explanation behind them.
I think this is a real opportunity for misinformation so I think those working in agriculture need to be aware that many consumers first encounter these terms in short posts or videos where the visuals are very powerful, but there's not a lot of time to explain or there's this emotion to it over fact.
I think that is why it's so important for agriculture to continue to tell its story and to be transparent and answer consumers' questions.It really helps them move beyond that to the more accurate picture.
Long says a significant share of Canadian food still comes from businesses rooted in families, households, communities, not distant entities with no family connection.
To access the article, search "What It Means to Be a Family Farm in Canada" at canadianfoodfocus.org.
Source : Farmscape.ca