July 13th, 2013 marks Meal Exchange’s fourth annual National BBQ Day (TM), a nation-wide celebration of locally sourced foods. Why go local? Buying local benefits your food system,your local economy as well as your taste buds. With farmers markets popping up everywhere during the summer, it’s never been easier to make the right choice.
Great, so where’s the BBQ? Well… It’s in your backyard!
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is undertaking an online consultation on its
Food Labelling Modernization Initiative, until August 30, 2013. The supporting document prepared by CFIA -the Discussion Paper for Food Labelling Modernization– suggests that this is driven by changes in production, processing and global trade, but also by consumers, who “… are looking for more diverse and innovative food choices.
While much attention has been devoted to CFIA’s changing definition of “local food” -and this has raised interesting conversations on the importance of local– it also opens the door to a reevaluation of CFIA’s approach to GM labelling. And given the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service has recently opened its own door to “Non-GMO” labels, such a reevaluation is more likely now than ever. And also more urgently required than ever, following the recent discovery in Oregon of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready GM wheat seeds -a product which was never commercially released- and CFIA’s recent approval of Monsanto’s Roundup-Ready GM alfalfa. This is a conversation that we must engage in, as part of the critical development and evaluation of sustainable food systems.
And that means, both in the info-tainment media and online, sifting through 1) reasoned, well-supported arguments; 2) venomous attacks; 3) meaningless, sycophantic drivel; 4) unhelpful exaggeration and 5) distracting disinformation, as well as 6) broad uncritical surveys, that present all of the above as equally deserving of your attention.
Based on the previous descriptions, it’s time to do some labelling of your own!
“Label” the following recent items from 1-6 … it’s fun for the whole family!
UK must become global leader on GM crops
GM crops won’t help African farmers
Choice of Monsanto Betrays World Food Prize Purpose, Say Global Leaders
World Food Prize 2013 Laureates
A number of funding opportunities have come across our desk in recent days and are well worth sharing.
The Ontario Catapult Microloan Fund for Social Enterprises has a fast approaching deadline (July 12). This program is designed to enable “social entrepreneurs and innovators to turn their ideas into world-changing impact by supporting promising early stage social enterprises with access to capital and [Centre for Social Innovation’s] existing programming and services.” Loans of up to $25,000 will be available to small (under 25 employees) social enterprises in Ontario. Fill out this pre-screening survey to determine if you are eligible for one of the loans. The inconvenience of the tight deadline is outweighed by the fact that, depending on your eligibility, the same application may qualify you for three other funding opportunities.
Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure has launched its Places to Grow Implementation program for 2013-14. The fund is meant to support research, capacity building and public education in the area of growth planning. Eligible applicants include academic institutions, sector/professional organizations, non-governmental/not-for-profit organizations and municipalities / administrative organizations. There is no deadline associated with this fund. (Au francais)
Federal and provincial governments have partnered up to fund Growing Forward 2 – Helping You Reach Your Goals. This program will support “strategic initiatives” that focus on innovation, competitiveness and market development. Eligible applications will come from organizations and collaborations, and there are three upcoming deadlines – September 5, October 24, and December 12, 2013. You can find more information at the Agricultural Adaptation Council’s page (with an excellent breakdown of eligibility and application process) or at the Growing Forward 2 portal.
Local Food Systems in North America
Prepared by: Elena Christy, University of Guelph
Karen Landman, Associate Professor, University of Guelph
Elizabeth Nowatschin, University of Guelph
Alison Blay-Palmer, Associate Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University
Prepared for: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food
This report is a survey of the prominent North American literature from academic, governmental, and non-governmental sources published within the last thirteen years on the subject of local food systems. The goal of this report is investigate current discussion on North American localized food systems and to identify the terms of engagement of participants seeking to access the perceived benefits of this form of food marketing.
Local Food Systems – International Perspectives
Prepared by: Irena Knezevic, Postdoctoral Fellow, Mount Saint Vincent University
Karen Landman, Associate Professor, University of Guelph
Alison Blay-Palmer, Associate Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University
Prepared for Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food
As the development of the local food movement in Ontario is not happening in isolation, the trends and the lessons of local/regional food initiatives around the world are worthy of consideration. The purpose of this review is to provide a brief overview of research and initiatives in other parts of the world, which may be useful for identifying patterns of successful models for local food hubs. Focusing on European Union countries, with an additional, less comprehensive turn to Australia and New Zealand, this overview is a cursory scan of scholarly and “gray” (government and community) literature on food hubs and regional food systems.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development has produced a report on Smallholders, food security, and the environment [pdf] that speaks to the importance of well-functioning ecosystems to a neglected but significant portion of the global agricultural community.
The latest news from RUAF [Resource Centres on Urban Agriculture and Food Security] includes two updates on the “Safe and Productive Use of Wastes for Urban Agriculture”, and news of a new strategic partnership with ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (www.iclei.org) to collaborate on resilient urban food and city-regional systems.
Guest Blog: Erin Nelson, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Guelph
Institute for Community Engaged Scholarship / Research Shop
On Monday, June 24th, Nick Saul – co-author of The Stop: How the Fight for Good Food Transformed a Community and Inspired a Movement – came to Guelph for the official launch of his book. The event was held at Lakeside Hope House, and was sponsored by the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition, the Guelph & Wellington Task Force for Poverty Elimination, the Guelph-Wellington Food Round Table, The Bookshelf, Community Food Centres Canada, and Random House.
It was a steamy evening, but more than 150 people braved the heat to come hear Nick tell the story of The Stop. He spoke passionately about shifting from a charity-based model of fighting hunger to one that recognizes the dignity of all people, and the empowering, healing, and unifying potential of food. He explained how the Community Food Centre movement can help turn that ideal into reality, by creating physical spaces for people to connect over food, by growing it, learning about it, sharing and celebrating it. He also encouraged the audience to politicize food, and advocate for food system change not just as consumers, but as citizens. Using the history of labour rights – such as the weekend – that were fought for and won as an example, he argued that we need to become “food fighters” in order to make change happen in our communities.
The message sparked an engaging Q&A session that probably could have continued all night long had it been allowed to (and had Nick not needed to get home to Toronto). The discussion was moderated by Brendan Johnson, Executive Director of the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition. Brendan is also a member of The Seed Community Food Hub Committee – a Poverty Task Force working group aiming to build a community food hub in Guelph-Wellington. The night served as an opportunity to share some of the work that The Seed has been doing over the past two years to support changes to the local emergency food system, and to introduce the group – and its vision – to the wider community.
After the formal part of the evening was over, people gathered in the Hope House café to continue the conversation (and buy signed copies of Nick’s book). Even without air conditioning the room buzzed with energy until well after 9pm, as people chatted with Nick and with each other about a wide range of topics, including what a community food hub might look like in Guelph-Wellington. Members of The Seed – including the Poverty Task Force, the Food Round Table, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, the Guelph Community Health Centre, and the University of Guelph’s Research Shop – were on hand with information about their work, and with a sign up sheet for people interested in getting involved with the initiative. Of course there was also excellent food for everyone to enjoy, provided by local businesses Green Table Foods and With the Grain.
By the end of the evening there was no doubt that people had been inspired and energized by the talk, and by the discussions and exchange that happened afterwards. At one point during the night, Nick mentioned that he saw no reason why there couldn’t be a community food centre one day in Guelph-Wellington. Surely many of those who were in the room left thinking about the role they could play in making that happen.
If you’re interested in receiving updates about The Seed Community Food Hub Committee and getting involved in its work, please contact info@gwpoverty.ca.
Irena Knezevic, Postdoctoral Fellow, FoodARC
Mount Saint Vincent University
and
Erin Nelson, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Guelph
Institute for Community Engaged Scholarship / Research Shop
The 2013 Community-University Expo, an international gathering of people committed to collaborative research partnerships, was held in Corner Brook, NL in the second week of June. Some 400 attendees from 12 countries brought with them fascinating stories of successes, obstacles, challenges, and rewards of community-based research. For the entire four days the event overflowed with an almost feverish brand of enthusiasm that proved contagious and impossible to contain. The conference was well-planned and well-executed – with credit being equally shared by CU Expo organizers and volunteers, the City of Corner Brook, the Grenfell Campus of Memorial University, and the province’s Office of Public Engagement.
Whether it was the opening event (with a keynote address by Canada’s Governor General, the Right Honourable David Johnston) or the Friday night “kitchen party” at the local Legion, the conference was marked by a fine balance of remarkable professionalism and relaxed hospitality that is the trademark of Newfoundland and Labrador.
If there was a complaint to be had, it must have been the difficulty of choosing a session to attend. With several concurrent sessions in various time slots, the program was packed with excellent content ranging from hands-on opportunities to make art (or even butter!), to tours of local community centres and projects, to more traditional sessions that focused on such topics as institutional frameworks for community-university partnerships, using social media effectively, and ethical challenges in community-based research.
Erin and Irena
Both of us (Erin and Irena) were at CU Expo wearing two hats – we travelled with partners from our respective postdoc placements, and we also participated in the conference’s Engagement Fair on behalf of Nourishing Ontario.
The fair was a two-hour event featuring an incredible array of booths, displays, and posters. While the 4-6pm time slot might have seemed like an opportune moment for people to steal some down time, the place was buzzing for the full two hours, with connections being made, stories being shared, and snacks being enjoyed.
Our contribution to the fair was a poster presenting the conceptual mapping work done by Phil Mount for our Models and Best Practices Report. The maps seemed to catch people’s attention, and roughly 60 attendees stopped to chat with us and ask questions about Nourishing Ontario’s work. We received lots of positive feedback, and a few people took advantage of the laptop on hand to test the open access software used for the mapping.
Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society Conference, 2013
One week later, the poster was in Michigan for another conference, where Nourishing Ontario regional teams presented on current and upcoming work. At the same conference, Mount discussed the food systems mapping with an engaged room of artists, academics and practitioners, in a well-attended, thought-provoking workshop on visualization. However, you don’t have to travel to see our poster!
Just click here!
Working Together to Improve Regional Food Systems
Interested in learning about Community-University partnerships and their ability to facilitate healthy, sustainable community food systems?
Join us for a webinar, Wednesday June 26, 1 – 2 pm EDT
Sign up to receive call-in information.
Hosted by The Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement (CFICE) project of Food Secure Canada and Carleton University
All webinars are recorded and posted within a week.
Webinar description
In 2000, the Waterloo Region was recognized nationally and internationally for its innovative and comprehensive approach to creating a healthy community food system. It was through this approach that food was recognized as a key determinant of health. In this webinar, Katherine Pigott, Steffanie Scott, and Wajma Qaderi-Attayi describe two models of community-university partnerships in the Waterloo Region Food System.
These models are operating through the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo and through the Healthy Eating and Active Communities Team at the Region of Waterloo Public Health. We will compare and describe these two ad hoc models of community-university partnerships, both of which act as facilitators of a healthy community food system.
Our presenters:
Katherine Pigott has worked at Region of Waterloo Public Health since March 2000. Katherine has over twenty years experience in community based planning, systems change and policy formulation that spans health promotion, economic development, crime prevention, and environmental planning. In the course of her work, she has launched several businesses and non-profit ventures to meet social needs. She acts as Chair of Health Promotion Ontario.
Steffanie Scott is Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo, and is engaged in research on sustainable food systems in China and Canada. She is President of the Canadian Association for Food Studies and is past Co-chair of the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable. Steffanie’s next research project will involve developing a sustainable urban food system assessment framework, which will be applied in several cities in China. Steffanie teaches a 4th year course on food systems and sustainability.
Wajma Qaderi-Attayi is now working to complete her Master’s in Public Health. Currently, as a Public Health Planner Intern, she is working on the Healthy Eating Active Communities team at the Region of Waterloo Public Health, also with Health Promotion Ontario. In addition, Wajma is also currently precepting public health surveillance at the University of Waterloo.
WATERLOO – Wilfrid Laurier University is launching a world-class research centre linking two of the most pressing issues of our time — sustainability and food.
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems (CSFS) will be led by Alison Blay-Palmer, a widely-published associate professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at Laurier and leader of the Nourishing Ontario research and community outreach project. Blay-Palmer brings her international connections with leading authorities to the centre, many of whom will be sitting on the advisory committee.
“We are very excited about the creation of the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems,” said Blay-Palmer. “Local and sustainable community food initiatives reflect growing public awareness that food can act as a vehicle for positive change. We plan to be at the forefront of research on these initiatives.”
“The Centre for Sustainable Food Systems will open more opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration in an area that is critical to society as a whole,” said Abby Goodrum, vice-president: research. “The vitality of our newest centre is representative of the thriving research climate at Laurier.”
Jonathan Crush, CIGI Chair in Global Migration and Development at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and leader of the Hungry Cities Initiative, will be the associate director of the new centre. Crush is also the founder and lead researcher of the African Food Security Urban Network, focusing on urbanization, food security and migration. He has a lifetime external funding record of more than $18 million.
“The new centre is very timely and has the potential to contribute greatly to addressing the research and policy challenge of urban and rural food insecurity in Africa and elsewhere,” said Crush. “New and innovative solutions to the problems of over and undernutrition are urgently required and the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems will be in the vanguard of applied research and policy-making with partners across the Global South.”
A core of Canadian and international researchers involved with Nourishing Ontario will continue their collaboration through the CSFS. In addition, the centre will involve the more than 20 Laurier faculty with expertise in a range of food research areas.
“This centre will put Laurier and Kitchener-Waterloo on the map on the issue of sustainability and food,” said Blay-Palmer. “We’re looking forward to bringing in internationally recognized speakers, attracting top graduate students and faculty as visiting scholars, and engaging the entire university and regional community.”
A grand opening for the centre is planned for this fall.
Contact:
Dr. Alison Blay-Palmer, Associate Professor
Geography and Environmental Studies
519-829-0059 or
Kevin Crowley, Director, Communications & Public Affairs
Wilfrid Laurier University
519-884-0710 ext. 3070 or kcrowley@wlu.ca
The Southern Tier West Regional Planning and Development Board has presented the results and recommendations of a six-month feasibility study of a proposed food hub to serve Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua county farm and food producers.
The research and report have been undertaken by Anthony Flaccavento, an economic development consultant and farmer who pioneered a local food hub in southwestern Virginia and northeastern Tennessee. This report is incredibly detailed, and is a must-read for those interested in developing their own regional food hub.
