Tech solutions could mean a brighter food future in N.L., advocate says

The technology industry could possess the answers to addressing Newfoundland and Labrador's food security challenge, says one advocate, pointing to artificial intelligence.

The non-profit group N.L.Eats hosted its fourth annual food security conference in St. John's this weekend, with a focus on technological innovation, says executive director Mehnaz Tabassum.

"I'm really optimistic about a lot of new solutions," Tabassum told CBC News. "Especially with the digital transformation and AI. How can we leverage technologies like this as organizations to move forward and amplify our impact."

Charities, she said, areoften underfunded, which is where digital tools like AI can help groups make do with limited resources and cash

Regina Food Bank CEO John Bailey, who was at the conference to speak, said his organization has embraced technology to improve how they operate.

"We've tried to integrate that as much as possible into our organization for efficiency," he said.

For instance, Bailey said they're using AI to determine what food items they need to keep in stock and have been able to cut down on food waste because they can determine what foods their clients actually want.

"Then it also allows us to be a little bit more proactive in terms of our sourcing activities to make sure we meet that need," said Bailey.

Regina Food Bank has gone from spending $100,000 a year on food to $1.2 million, he said, but they're using that money wisely.

"It's not about spending less on food, it's about spending money in the best possible way to serve our community."

Unique challenges in N.L.

Tabassum said N.L. has unique challenges when it comes to tackling food security, such as the unpredictable weather.

"What we have learned is that Newfoundland has already lost 50 per cent of its agricultural land and with climate change and uncertainty of weather, is just getting more difficult," she said.

She said one solution to boosting the province's food production is leaning into hydroponics, which means growing food throughout the year and enabling more people to grow food at home.

A single organization can't address food security alone, said Tabassum, but that it will take collective action.

"The way that we can tackle this and amplify our impact is by working together and helping each other out, like sharing what we know. Sharing what others know," she said.

St. John's East MP Joanne Thompson said N.L. needs to be more self-sufficient and grow more of its own food.

"We can do so much more in terms of our independence in our production," she said.

Part of that will include supporting younger farmers and understanding how climate change is negatively affecting the supply chain, she said.

Like Tabassum, Thompson is also optimistic about the positive impact that embracing technology can have on food production, including hydroponics.

"The reality is that we are in a new age in terms of the possibilities and the very real solutions to many of our problems that are going to come through technology," said Thompson.

She said climate change is negatively affecting food systems, pointing to flooding in Florida and forest fires in Labrador this summer. However, she said climate change can be a motivationfor people to become more food self-sufficient.

"We were independent in terms of food production in the past," said Thompson.

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