It has been a busy two weeks in sustainable food systems news! Here’s a round-up of recent conference and webcast announcements, as well as some interesting reports and articles.

2013 Eastern Ontario Local Food Conference

OMAF/MRA:  The Eastern Ontario Local Food Conference is back for another year and it’s better than ever. This year’s theme is “Innovation Driving Local Food”. The conference will take place on December 2 – 3, 2013 at the Ambassador Hotel and Conference Centre in Kingston. It is hosted by Kingston Economic Development Corporation (KEDCO) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Rural Affairs. Read more…

How to Feed 9 Billion on a Small Planet

USC Canada:  On November 19th, Miguel Altieri (University of California, Berkeley) – a world leading authority on agroecology – will speak on ecological agriculture as a key solution to food insecurity, hunger, and climate change. He’ll be joined by panelists:

Jean-Martin Fortier, farmer and author of The Market Gardener,
Sarah Archibald, Campus Food Systems Project Coordinator, and
Henry Lickers, Environmental Science Officer, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne.
Bob Carty, former top CBC radio journalist, will moderate the webcast.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Tuesday, November 19, 2013 from 12-2 pm EST
Across Canada via webcast

REGISTER
To register for the webcast or to organize a private or public screening, go to: usc-canada.org/feedingtheworld.

For more information, please contact genevieve@usc-canada.org.

This event is organized by USC Canada, Inter Pares, Food Secure Canada, School of International Development and Global Studies, Sierra Youth Coalition, Meal Exchange, ETC Group, CBAN, Ram’s Horn,National Farmers Union, and Development and Peace.

Farming in Ontario’s Greenbelt: Possibility Grows Here

Greenbelt:  Co-authoured by professor Wayne Caldwell, of the University of Guelph, and recognized expert on agricultural and rural planning issues, Farming in Ontario’s Greenbelt: Possibility Grows Here, provides recommendations to ensure economic prosperity and viability of farming in Ontario.
Read more…

Urban Food Strategies: the rough guide to sustainable food systems

FoodLinks:  Academics, policy makers and CSOs from 9 different European countries have collaboratively produced a guide to provide motivation and support for those actors interested in building more sustainable food systems in urban contexts. Far from proposing a recipe to develop Urban Food Strategies, we have compiled distinct motivations, measures, ideas, processes and examples from around Europe that we hope are useful to inspire action towards more sustainable and just food systems for all. Read more…

Civic Engagement in Food System Governance

A Comparative Perspective on American and English Local Food Movements
Alan Hunt

Using longitudinal empirical evidence, Hunt finds that local food projects in the US are more collaborative than those in England. His research demonstrates that increasing inclusion in civil society can increase policy outcomes despite countervailing trends of social segregation and political polarization. Read more…

Farmland Conservation

Wallace Center:  The National Young Farmers Coalition recently released a report, Farmland Conservation 2.0: How Land Trusts Can Protect America’s Working Farms (pdf), discussing the successful strategies of farmland conservation to secure permanent and affordable land for working farmers. Read more…

WHO: Ensuring a safe, healthy and sustainable food supply

Policies in agriculture and fisheries influence public health by affecting the supply, local availability, safety, affordability and accessibility of foods. Read more…

Food Is the New Black

Huffington Post:  “Food is the New Black” — I read that in a fashion or home or travel magazine a few months ago. The next 30 seconds of thoughts and emotions that flooded my mind are probably typical for people in my field. First I smiled at the silliness of that statement. Then, I felt confidence: People do seem to be catching on that healthful, bountiful food is at risk. Read more…

Sustainable food systems include food from forests

Biodiversity International:  Globally, it is estimated that billions of people depend on forests and trees. This is true for many people living in developing countries, for whom forests are an essential part of a sustainable food system. Read more…