Editor:
I note with interest all of the letters concerning the viability or not of farming in Delta.
Dr. Aleck Ostry of the Population Health Lab at the University of Victoria writes that Delta produces about 45 per cent of greenhouse and 35 per cent of field vegetables grown in B.C. He also notes that B.C. is only about 50 per cent self-sufficient when it comes to food production.
Pretty good, you might say. But the availability of food from Mexico and California is subject to pressures such as soil salinity, lack of water for irrigation, climate changes and loss of nutrients both in the growing and the shipping processes. Many fruits and vegetables are grown more for their ability to withstand shipping than for taste and nutrition.
What the recent round of letters fails to consider is the impact that loss of farmland will have on migratory and resident birds. Migratory birds will not find food or rest on land covered with warehouses, nor will they find it in shopping centres.
They have a well-established migratory route known as the Pacific Flyway. If this route is broken, we can expect to see the collapse of our wonderful bird populations. Eco-tourism is a growing industry and we need to support it.
For good coverage of these issues, please visit Vicki Huntington's website.
Anita den Dikken
