News from the Food Security Research Network

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The Food Security Research Network, the Faculty of Natural Resources Management at Lakehead University, the North Superior Workforce Planning Board and the Northwest Training and Adjustment Board have put together a poster that comprehensively documents the lessons from their Workforce Multiplier Effect Study.

Poster-Mulltiplier Effect Study (pdf 313 kB)

The Study

The Workforce Multiplier Effect of Local Farms and Food Processors in Northwestern Ontario (pdf 1 MB) is a report from the Food Security Research Network and the Faculty of Natural Resources Management at Lakehead University, funded and supported by the North Superior Workforce Planning Board and the Northwest Training and Adjustment Board.
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The agricultural food production sector is an important industry in Northwestern Ontario. One of the notable characteristics of the agricultural food production sector is that it provides residents with a range of local food options. There has been a growing demand of locally produced food over the last decade with increasing awareness of environmental, economic, and health implications of eating local food. The development of local food systems is a growing area of interest and is viewed as a logical strategy to improve community economic vitality.
The purpose of this report is to provide a detailed examination of the role played by the food production and processing sector on workforce multiplier effect in Northwestern Ontario. This includes an assessment of the indirect impacts of employment generated in the region. The study assesses the current state of food production, compares the changes in the state of food production between 2006 and 2011, explores the workforce multiplier effect of local food production throughout the economy, and provides a forecast of workforce multiplier effect of local food production for the next 5 years in each of the three districts (Thunder Bay, Rainy River and Kenora) of Northwestern Ontario. The report is intended to help the broader community better understand the nature and economic significance of the food production and processing in terms of jobs. The findings are also intended to inform program and policy development work within Northwestern Ontario.

Read more…

Webinar: Building Relationships

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The key to influencing local, sustainable procurement at institutions

Hosted by Food Secure Canada

Join us in this webinar to find out more about the CFSP’s lessons learned, approach, and to hear first hand about the experience of students affecting cultural changes in institutional food systems.

THURSDAY, APRIL 10TH, 1 PM EST

Since 2011, the Campus Food Systems Project (CFSP), a joint initiative between Meal Exchange and Sierra Youth Coalition, has been working to empower students with the leadership skills they need to bring healthy, local, and sustainable food to Canadian campuses. An essential component of this project has been the work of our student leaders to cultivate a shared culture of investment and interest in the food system across key players within their institutions. Our student leaders have successfully empowered champions and developed diverse networks within their institutions and communities. These networks and relationships are key ingredients to pushing a good food agenda forward within any institutional food system – be it a post-secondary campus, hospital, or school.

 

Fortnightly Feast vol. 19

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Upcoming Webinars

Food on our minds: Diet, mental health, and the role of community food programs

Wednesday April 9, 2014 from 12 to 1 p.m. EDT

Free!  Register Here! – https://cfccanada.webex.com/

Join us on Wednesday, April 9th from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. EDT for a webinar pod-cast that will explore the role that a healthy diet and cooking together have in mental health promotion. In this webinar, Karen Davison, a dietitian and leading researcher in the intersection of nutrition and mental health, will share key findings from her work. And Kristyn Dunnion, the Community Kitchen Coordinator at The Stop Community Food Centre, will speak about her experience running food programs for those struggling with mental health and poverty. The webinar will be moderated by Dr. Trace MacKay, Research and Evaluation Coordinator at Community Food Centres Canada.

Key topics we’ll cover in this webinar include: the impact of diet as a prevention and response to mental health challenges, the role that poverty and food insecurity play in mental health, and how food programs can be an important part of the response.
We’d like to cater the webinar to your interests, so please email us questions you’d like us to pose during the webinar and we’ll do our best to get to as many as we can.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Emily at emily@cfccanada.ca.

 

Food Justice, Obesity & the Social Determinants of Health
April 10, 2 p.m. EST
Presented in conjunction with National Public Health WeekShiriki Kumanyika, PhD, MPH, APHA president-electCecilia Martinez, PhD, Center for Earth, Energy & Democracy
Healthy communities depend on food environments that offer all residents access to healthy food choices. Where people live should not dictate how well they can eat, but it often does. APHA President-elect Shiriki Kumanyika, PhD, discusses food environments as drivers of obesity and related diseases as well as critical elements in achieving health equity. Speaker Cecilia Martinez, PhD, will discuss community indicators for food justice.

This is part 1 of a 4-part series, co-sponsored by APHA and Healthy Food Action. Register once for all four. You may attend as many as you like, but are not required to attend all four.

 

Collectiveimpactforum.org is now live!

The Collective Impact Forum, an initiative of FSG and the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions, is a resource for people and organizations using the collective impact approach to address large-scale social and environmental problems. We aim to increase the effectiveness and adoption of collective impact by providing practitioners with access to the tools, training opportunities, and peer networks they need to be successful in their work.

Aboriginal Food Security in Northern Canada

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An Assessment of the State of Knowledge

Food insecurity presents a serious and growing challenge in Canada’s northern and remote Aboriginal communities. In 2011, off-reserve Aboriginal households in Canada were about twice as likely as other Canadian households to be food insecure. Finding lasting solutions will require the involvement not just of policy-makers but of those most affected by food insecurity: people living in the North.

Aboriginal Food Security in Northern Canada: An Assessment of the State of Knowledge offers policy-makers a holistic starting-point for discussion and problem-solving. It also provides evidence and options to researchers and communities engaging in local responses.

Read the full report.

Alimentation : Vers de nouveaux modes de consommation ?

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nonameL’Institut des régions chaudes, Montpellier SupAgro et la Chaire UNESCO «Alimentations du Monde» ont mis en ligne les vidéos de colloque annuel du 31 janvier dernier : “Alimentation : vers de nouveaux modes de consommation ?”

 

http://www.chaireunesco-adm.com/spip.php?rubrique93

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. On reconnaît également de plus en plus l’importance des comportements domestiques, après achat.

 

The UNESCO Chair on World Food Systems has posted the videos from the third edition of its annual conference, “Towards new patterns of consumption” (January 31st, 2014), which explored the food system at the scale of individual.

Food consumption is identified as a major challenge in terms of sustainability, including reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and improve the health of populations. This raises the question of possible incentives (and their effectiveness) in changing food consumption patterns. What are the levers and brakes that can intervene in supporting practice changes? What is its acceptability by consumers? What types of alternative models participate in change?

http://www.chaireunesco-adm.com/spip.php?rubrique93 

Farmlands and Succession Services Capacity Building Project

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FarmStart Job Posting / RFP

FarmStart is seeking an individual or consultant to work closely with our staff team and with various technical consultants and advisors to assess the feasibility, analyze and identify the necessary capacity, and develop business plans for the following farmland and farm succession services:

  1. Matchmaking Services: Identify the opportunities and costs of providing matchmaking services for farmland owners including non-farmers, retiring or downsizing farmers, institutions, as well as corporate landholders.
  2. Coaching Services for Farm Seekers: The goal is to provide coaching and advising services for farm seekers to help them through farm opportunity assessments, contract negotiations, whole farm planning, and creative and traditional financing. Develop a plan for a series of workshops, structured coaching, and for-fee coaching services that will be provided by working with existing farm business advisors and rural realtors.
  3. Management Services for the Development of Farm Condos and Community Farms: Work with our established Municipal partners to develop the feasibility assessment, planning documents, and investment structures to build a pilot Condo Farm that would be financed by local investors.

This could be a 6-month employment contract within FarmStart, or the work could be completed by an external consultant.
We expect this feasibility assessment and capacity building work may result in new employment opportunities implementing new programming or services.

For scope, deliverables, timeline, salary/budget and application process please see Succession Services RFP – Job Posting[pdf 40 kB].

Questions about this posting may also be sent to jobs@farmstart.ca

WHAT’S RACE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

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THREE LEADING NORTH AMERICAN THINKERS AND ACTIVISTS ON FOOD, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION TALK ABOUT THEIR WORK

Malik Yakini
Executive Director, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network
Joseph Leblanc
Founding Board Member and President, True North Community Co-operative
Utcha Sawyers
Food Justice and Community Food Animation Manager, FoodShare

WEDNESDAY MARCH 19TH

7:00 – 9:00 PM
Wilson Hall Lounge 
40 Willcocks Street
Toronto, ON
Doors open at 6:30 pm. The panel gets underway at 7:00 pm. Drop by early to sample snacks from FoodShare and to check out the information tables of food organizations in Toronto. 
Event sponsored by New College Equity Studies and New One (University of Toronto), with support from the Principal’s Innovation Fund, and in partnership with the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems (Wilfrid Laurier University).

Food, Diversity and Inclusion

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For those in the Kitchener-Waterloo area and beyond…

You are invited to join us for an evening with

Malik Yakini
Founding member and Executive Director, Detroit Black Food Security Network, D’town Farm co-founder

Joseph Leblanc
Founding board member and President of True North Community Co-operative

Utcha Sawyers
Food Justice and Community Food Animation, FoodShare, Toronto

We will explore ‘Food, diversity and inclusion’

Dessert and coffee will be served
Thursday, March 20
6:30 – 8:30

Balsillie School of International Affairs (Multipurpose Room #142)
67 Erb Street West
Waterloo, ON N2L 6C2
Canada

You can sign up to attend the event at:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/food-diversity-and-inclusion-tickets-8576654003
Seating limited

Please circulate widely

Event organized by the
Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, Wilfrid Laurier University
and
New College, University of Toronto

Utilization Focused Evaluation

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Evaluation and Communication in Practice

UFE facilitates a learning process in which people in the real world apply evaluation findings and experiences to their work. The focus is on intended users. UFE does not prescribe any specific content, method, or theory. It is a guiding framework, rather than a methodology. UFE can include a wide variety of evaluation methods within an overall participatory paradigm. Decision making, in consultation with those who can benefit from the evaluation, is an important part of the process.

You can find Utilization Focused Evaluation: A primer for evaluators (Ricardo Ramírez and Dal Brodhead, 2013) on the Evaluation & Communication in Practice website.