Category Archives: International Lessons

Alternatives and solutions to problems or barriers to sustainable local food systems that have relevance in Ontario.

« alimentations du monde »

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Vers de nouveaux modes de consommation ?

alimentations du monde

3e colloque annuel de la Chaire Unesco
Vendredi 31 janvier 2014 (9h-18h) à Montpellier SupAgro

La consommation alimentaire des ménages est identifiée comme un enjeu majeur en matière de durabilité, notamment pour réduire les impacts des activités humaines sur l’environnement et améliorer la santé des populations. Dès lors se pose la question des incitations possibles (et de leur efficacité) pour faire évoluer les modes de consommation alimentaire. Quels sont les leviers et les freins qui peuvent intervenir dans l’accompagnement des changements de pratique ? Quelle en est l’acceptabilité par les consommateurs ? Quels types de modèles alternatifs participent au changement ?

Conférence inaugurale par Jean-Pierre Poulain

Sociologue de l’alimentation (Université Toulouse II), titulaire de la chaire « Food studies: food, cultures and health », Taylor’s University (Kuala Lumpur/Toulouse)

Pour rappel, les liens vers nos deux éditions précédentes :

http://www.chaireunesco-adm.com/spip.php?rubrique31

http://www.chaireunesco-adm.com/spip.php?rubrique35

How Local Food Helps the Economy

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AMES, Iowa — A new report from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture shows that institutional purchases of local food added nearly $9 million to the Iowa economy in 2012.

What’s more, the report points out enormous opportunities for local foods in Iowa that could benefit rural communities and farm-based businesses. Investigators measured significant sales from only a small segment of potential markets for local foods among grocery stores, restaurants, hospitals, nursing homes, college and school food services and other institutions.

The findings are part of an evaluation of the Regional Food Systems Working Group (RFSWG) that supports local food systems in 90 of Iowa’s 99 counties. It is the first coordinated, comprehensive attempt to measure actual economic and community impacts associated with regional food system development in Iowa.

The coordinators distributed surveys to area buyers and farmers they worked with to collect information about these key indicators of economic impact:
·       Local food purchases in 2012: 74 buyers reported total purchases of $8,934,126.
·       Local food sales in 2012: 103 farmers reported total sales of $10,549,296;
·       New jobs related to local food in 2012: A total 36 new jobs (24 full-time equivalent) were created in 2012 (reported by a subset of buyers and farmers).

The statewide report, 2012 Economic Impacts of Iowa’s Regional Food Systems Working Group, is available on the Leopold Center website at: www.leopold.iastate.edu/local-food

Upcoming Webinars and Webcasts

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Nutrition and Sustainability: A Long-term Vision for Effective Strategies

Tuesday, 12 November 2013, from 09.00 to 18.00 in FAO Headquarters in Rome

3:00 a.m. to 12:00 EST (See agenda for details)

FAO, the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN), Bioversity International, and the governments of Malawi and Flanders are co-organizing a seminar to explore practical approaches and solutions to nutrition and sustainability.  The seminar will bring together around 300 scientists, policy makers, experts, students and practitioners to develop responses to countries’ requests about “why?” and “how?” to link nutrition and sustainability, and to discuss the trade offs. Outcomes of this one-day seminar will also feed into the discussions of the ICN2 Preparatory Technical Meeting<http://www.fao.org/food/nutritional-policies-strategies/icn2/en> (13-15 November 2013).

For more details: http://www.unscn.org/en/nutrition_and_climate_change/nutrition_and_sustainability_seminar_12_november.php

 

Is Sustainability Still Possible?

Webinar To Explore Sustainability Vs. “Sustainababble” And The Road Ahead

Wednesday, November 13, 2013, 2:00 p.m. EST (11 a.m. PST)
The word “sustainable” is increasingly difficult to distinguish between “sustainababble,” with growsing false claims confusing our understanding of what sustainability truly entails. This webinar, based on the 2013 edition of the Worldwatch Institute’s flagship annual report, State of the World (subtitled: Is Sustainability Still Possible?), will help participants to better distinguish between sustainability and sustainababble, discuss the scientific foundations of sustainability, explore how to create a truly sustainable human society, and if that is no longer possible, how to prepare ourselves for the turbulent transition ahead.
Featuring commentary by: Erik Assadourian, Senior Fellow, Robert Engelman, President, Worldwatch Institute
Click here to register.

 

How to Feed 9 Billion on a Small Planet

JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Tuesday, November 19, 2013 from 12-2 pm EST
Across Canada via webcast

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.

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

The African Food Security Urban Network (AFSUN)

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The African Food Security Urban Network (AFSUN) was founded in 2008 to address the crisis of food insecurity in Africa’s rapidly-growing towns and cities. AFSUN aims to improve the knowledge base of the dimensions and causes of urban food insecurity in Africa and to develop and advocate for international, national and local policies to enhance food and nutrition security.

The new website of the African Food Security Urban Network is now operational at www.afsun.org – you are invited to visit and look around.

Towards Sustainable Food Systems

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The Conference “Towards Sustainable Food Systems” will take place on 18 October 2013 at FAO headquarters, Rome, Italy, from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm local time. The Conference is organized as a contribution to the 2013 World Food Day’s theme “Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition”, and will be webcast at the following links:

 
In the Original language (floor): http://www.fao.org/webcast/index.asp?lang=IT

The overall objective of the Conference is to help build a common understanding of the issues at stake, to show actions already being taken by FAO and its partners, and to form the platform for the creation of new and emerging partnerships. The Conference will foster a broad multistakeholder – evidence-based – dialogue for action, supported by presentations of multistakeholder initiatives aimed at more sustainable food systems.

UNCTAD Trade and Environment Report 2013

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Take ‘mosaic’ approach to agriculture, boost support for small farmers, UNCTAD Report urges

Geneva, Switzerland, (18 September 2013)

​Farming in rich and poor nations alike should shift from monoculture towards greater varieties of crops, reduced use of fertilizers and other inputs, greater support for small-scale farmers, and more locally focused production and consumption of food, a new UNCTAD report recommends.

The Trade and Environment Report 2013 warns that continuing rural poverty, persistent hunger around the world, growing populations, and mounting environmental concerns must be treated as a collective crisis. It says that urgent and far-reaching action is needed before climate change begins to cause major disruptions to agriculture, especially in developing countries. Read more…

International News

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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.

Crowdsourcing Sustainable Social Ventures to Link Rural and Urban Well-being

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BEEBBEEB, Hives and Local Networks of Empowerment

We believe that to tackle the global issue of food insecurity in a sustainable way it is vital to connect rural and urban communities on low incomes. BEEB is essentially a model of information and organisation that links rural and urban well-being. The two communities escape food insecurity together. Read more…

BEEB connects a cooperative of small-holder farmers directly with the slum dwellers using two simple parts: basic cold storage facilities and a mobile phone order and payment system.

Vote for BEEB online! Only 19 days left…

 

Hult Prize Global On-line Competition

The theme of the 2013 Hult Prize is global food security and will focus on how to get safe, sufficient, affordable and easily accessible food to the 200 million people who live in urban slums – a challenge personally selected by former US President Clinton. Student teams will be charged with developing a sustainable social venture that can accomplish the objective by 2018. View all of the videos for the online competition on the Hult Prize Facebook site.

 

Fortnightly Feast – vol. 6.1 (Upcoming Events)

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Until 30 April 2013, the UN FAO is running an open e-consultation on ‘Food losses and waste in the context of sustainable food systems’

WEBINARS

Financing Farmers and Food Hubs
April 30, 2013
2:00-3:30pm
Michigan Food Hub Learning and Innovation Network
 Learn more about two exciting financing projects: the Shade Fund (part of the Conservation Fund) and the Northwest Michigan Farm and Food 20/20 Fund.
To participate in the webinar, go to: https://connect.msu.edu/richpirog
 Read more…

Stocking the Pantry: Fundraising in the community food sector
Upcoming free webinar: Wednesday, April 24, 12:00-1:00pm EDTJoin Nick Saul, President & CEO of Community Food Centres Canada, and Cheryl Roddick, Director of Development at The Stop Community Food Centre for a conversation on fundraising for small to mid-size organizations. The discussion will touch on the evolution of fundraising at The Stop, key development moments, the art of stewardship, the importance of diversified funding, and more. Click here to register – https://cfccanada.webex.com/

Foodweb Solutions 2.0

Food Hackathon was the first of its kind event empowering food lovers and developers with a focus on building hardware and software products and services that positively impact the production, storage, distribution, access, discovery, sharing, consumption, and social impact of food. Read more…

Crowdsourcing crop improvement and local indicators?
Can we preselect varieties for a future climate, from a similar climate here and now?
What indicators of season changes will stop being useful to farmers? Will these work in a different place in the future? Read more…

Urban and peri-urban food: two discussions

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The SUPURBFOOD project (www.supurbfood.eu) is looking to identify experiences from the global South and North with recycling of nutrients, waste and water in urban and peri-urban agriculture, short chain delivery of food in urban and peri-urban areas, and multifunctional agriculture in urban and peri-urban areas in order to enrich South-North exchange and collaboration.  We are specifically interested in innovative experiences – with a special focus on the type of business models that were applied, the role of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and their sustainability.

Read more…