In addition to providing awareness about food security, SYF seeks to understand the causes that might result in increase in food prices.  In order to be informed about events that might result in food price increases I have developed a number of resources that allows me to keep up to date on happenings here and across the world.

An example of this is the way in which extreme weather has affected food production worldwide.   I look at stats from reputable sources and observe the trends.  Using this as a context, I have been able to determine that the food security situation is at a crossroads.

The food supply chain is under continuous stress from various causes and understanding why this occurs is how we can work to provide solutions.  As mentioned in the program rationale, foremost among the causes of price increases is extreme weather.  This is why the features of the greenhouse will make it immune to the most damaging aspects of extreme weather.

Our climate has become destabilized and the balance we have enjoyed has come to an end.  Until some sort of balance has been achieved, frequency and intensity of extreme weather events will continue.  The trends illustrate this fact and we must now look at climate change adaptation until our climate stabilizes.

Growing food indoors for food security is a climate change adaptation strategy that is beginning to take root in our society.  We have the Mississauga Food Bank using Aquaponics to provide vegetables and fish to its clients.  In Cloverdale, BC, the use of a living wall of vegetables by a local church group who want to provide fresh produce to the needy is another example.  Examples like these and the work that SYF does are hedges, in the case that we do not reverse the present trend with our climate. 

Let us work together and secure our future for ourselves and our loved ones.  Thank you.

Derek MT      

I am happy to comment on the progress that this program has made so far.  The program was conceptualized in December as I was brainstorming ideas for the content of my final practicum with Community and Social Development (CSD), at the City of Lethbridge.  Building upon the work and suggestion by those at CSD, the program would take shape as the months flew by.  This program would not have been successful had it not been without the support of these professionals from CSD or Mount Royal University.

Proof of concept had been achieved, from an academic sense, one month before completion of my practicum and in the remaining month I sought to work on the community engagement portion.  I would wait on the completing the general features of the Concept until after finals  and other business.  I hope to have these test enclosures built by the fall.  

Most of you may not know but I had applied for a job with the city, doing emergency planning and this program would fall under this banner, had I gotten the job.  Unfortunately, I did not get the job.  

​As a result, I have decided to take this program and fold it into my own non profit business, which will have three programs: Secure Your Food (food security), disaster management planning for vulnerable individuals, and neighborhood disaster management research.  You might have noticed the name at the top left.  Until I can determine that this name is not taken, this non profit will be called Solutions.  The reason for this name is the purpose of these programs, solutions for the most pressing problems in society.  

Future blog posts will be thoughts of mine during the practicum so you can have a glimpse into the process and concerns I had from start to finish with this program.  I hope to build upon the media content and illustrate the progress that we will be accomplishing in the months to come.  

If you have made it this far, I thank you for your time and wish you well.

​Derek Melting Tallow