Conveners’ Speak AGRICULTURE AND CANADIAN INDUSTRIES Mrs. John A. King, Convener At the Ofï¬cer‘s Conference in Waterloo. Agriculture and Canaâ€" dian Industries conveners were brought face to face with problems that could confront us in the comâ€" ing years in feeding our country as , I .1 well as the other nations of the r 5;, world. ' Mr. Ken Lantz. Assistant Dep- uty Minister of Agriculture and Food discussed the changes in agriculture during the past twenty-ï¬ve years. He said that two-thirds of Can- ada's population lived in rural areas twenty-ï¬ve years ago: whereas. now only oneâ€"third is rural. A farmer fed ï¬ve persons then 7 now 40, He asked. “As the world population increases. can the world feed itself'?" [n 25 years. the world will double itself from 3.5 bil- lion to'7 billion, India‘s population alone will increase 2.2? each year; while on the American continent, the population increase will be 1%. Ontario‘s 7.7 million alone is expected to increase to [2 million by 2000. The Green Revolution begun in Pakistan ï¬ve years ago was expected to provide stiflicient food for the world. but since then. the world’s harvests have fallen below meeting the demands In I96] world grain re- serves allowed a 95â€"day supply of food but by Jan. I. 1975. it was found the supply would only last 26 days. Since a 60% increase in production is now needed to feed our own growing population. Mr. Lantz stressed the great importance of preserving all our prime agricultural land. To this goal. the Ontario Min- istry of Agriculture and Food has created a new Food Land Development Branch which will promote the re- tention of good land for food production. Even with problems facing farmers â€" producing food at low prices, trade barriers. strikes plaguing food distribution. Mr. Lantz feels we should face the future with conï¬dence in the Family Farm which has been the foundation of agriculture. As well as conserving agricultural land. Institute members should consider conservation of food. How much food are we wasting? In Tuscan, Arizona 3 6- month survey was completed in January. 1975 on the amount of usable left-overs from family meals found in the garbage. Results? 12-15% ofthe food purchased was thr0wn in the garbage. This survey revealed that the total value of this waste could mean I] million dollars alone or 4.5 billion dollars annually for the USA or enough to feed the entire combined popu- lation of Viet Nam. Bangladeish and Canada.r Andjust recently Hon. Ii. Whelan revealed that we Canadians throw out 18% of the food we buy and that food waste proportions have reached an average of 300 lbs per Canadian per year â€" an alarming amount! The trend is clear! If it is to be changed then all of us must do our share in making that change so that a serious food shortage may be prevented. 18 CITIZENSHIP AND WORLD AFFAIRS Mrs. L. E. Drayton, Convener A native of Edmonton. He; Drayton graduated from the U versity of Alberta, and after I in western Canada and the L States moved to the Ottaivu urea Mrs. Drayton is no stranuer in ’ Women’s Institute Work, 31:]. h“ f interest in the organization 1 ubt. -' less was ï¬rst sparked Ix he. . , .7 . . , Grandmother. who was life member in Alberta. Her Mother was a member the Alberta organization as well. Since moving east. “Helen†has been a menu“ Ur Ramsayville Branch for 14 years. holding varicx. in. ï¬ces and has also been on the executive of Car on East District. She brings to her provincial cont .Vr. ship a wide knowledge of UN. information. but .3 of her involvement in The National Capital R in Branch of the UN. organization. Community involvement takes much time to All active church member and 4H Homemaking ih leader and organizer to coordinate a senior en it club in south Gloucester area. she still has tin in teach night school classes in dressmaking and Cr Her interest in the FWIO has broadened 1hr Ill her leadership at Ofï¬cers‘ Conference and she Ell" l- tended the FWlC Convention at Banff. There are three children in their family, u daughters. Mrs. S. A. Holland of Guelph. Beverl it University of Guelph dietetics graduate. and son '- don attending the University of Guelph. €11 ni- Wing titted TWEEDSMUIR HISTORIES Mrs. R. C. Walker, Curator As one views the beauty of i. ture on these lovely sunny (1.. we are amazed at the wonders r all: the multiâ€"shades of yellr red. orange. br0wn. and green all blended together to makv. panorama beyond the compreh 51011 of man. The trueness ofit ‘ even evades the brush of the ï¬n. painters. and makes us all l'E‘dli ‘ the power ofthe Almighty in the beauty of His earth Then. as we travel through this awesome wondr we ï¬nd dotted here and there the homes of our peopl somepmes we again are swept into deep thought as ‘v the history of these buildings and the people.