Cloverbelt Local Food Co-op

From the latest newsletter of the Cloverbelt Local Food Co-op

Getting started: Looking back, I realize it’s been over a year since a group of us sat down and said: “Let’s turn the dream of a local food co-op in Dryden into reality”. The concept has been kicking around our community for a long time (learn more about the research behind the co-op here: http://www.dryden.ca/cms/One.aspx?portalId=7851&pageId=39046). The project really came to life when some of us attended a workshop about strengthening local food systems, that was hosted by the Northwest Training & Adjustment Board, and the Food Security Research Network in November of 2012.  It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come since then.  Cloverbelt Local Food Co-op was officially incorporated on August 20, 2013, and we have been steadily receiving new memberships as people eagerly support the opportunity to become a part of change, for the better.

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Mixing Ingredients

January 16, 7:00 – 9:00 PM

At Balsillie School of International Affairs, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo (Room 145)

Food connects us. This simple statement reveals how the food we consume, research, refuse to eat, or throw away structures our everyday local and global lives, This roundtable–comprised of academics, advocates, activists, organizers, and artists–will explore how food research moves across both disciplinary and institutional borders and takes up residence outside academic confines and discourses. This conversation will be an opportunity to explore how academic thinking can be translated through the study of food in such a way as to be useful outside of university structures.

Panelists

Andrew Bieler, Communication & Culture, York University
Michelle Coyne, Second Harvest, Toronto, Ontario
Charles Levoke, Postdoctoral Fellow, Wilfrid Laurier University
Steffanie Scott, Geography & Environmental Management, University of Waterloo

This session is part of the annual conference of the Canadian Association for Cultural Studies, Dispersions. Conference fees are not required if this is the only session you plan to attend.

Fortnightly Feast – vol. 16

Cardiff chosen as beacon of sustainable food

Cardiff has been selected as one of just six cities in the UK to share in one million pounds of funding to be invested in improving food culture and support its efforts to become a Sustainable Food City. Read more

Sustainable Food European Style

For the first time, the European Commission is working towards a Communication on Sustainable Food. An important milestone in the move towards a more resource-efficient food system; Slow Food is actively encouraging the initiative, as well as the efforts of the Commission to open up the debate on this topic. Read more

Hunger, income and the local food economy…

Foodlink Grey Bruce, Dec 10 2013

In the spirit of solving the terrible problem of hunger in our communities it’s vital to explore underlying issues. When we see headlines like: Food costs eating up limited incomes about the annual Ontario Nutritious Food Basket survey that measures regional costs of basic healthy food, the real issues can get obscured. One could also say that “rent costs are eating up incomes” or any number of other causes; see Open meeting this Friday to discuss poverty … It’s a good opportunity to say a few important things that relate to local food. Read more

Island Chefs’ Collaborative

Many budding entrepreneurs start off by making their products in their kitchens at home, but depending on the type of product it is, they might have to make it in an inspected commercial kitchen facility, or quite often to take the next step up, they have to purchase equipment they just don’t have the capital for. This is where the Island Chefs Collaborative has stepped in… with a commercial microloan system. Read more

New Report on Growers Cooperative

The Environmental Studies Program at the University of Montana is pleased to announce that a new report is available titled “Local is Delicious” But It’s Not Always Easy:  A Case Study of the Western Montana Growers Cooperative.

The research presented not only answers questions of interest to the Cooperative and its partners, but also contributes to a general understanding of small-scale cooperatives operating as food hubs, values-based supply chains, and the possibilities and challenges associated with building a more democratic, regional food system in a large rural area.

To access the report, go to:  http://www.lakecountycdc.org/_Resources_%26_Case_Studies

 

The logistics of going local

“If you’ve seen one food hub, you’ve seen one food hub.”
– Rich Pirog

It took 18 months and $650,000 to turn the Kalamazoo Street warehouse into a food hub, with the help of dozens of business and artisans who discounted their services or worked for free. Along the way, two layers of ugly ceiling tile were torn away to reveal a pleasant surprise: the graceful arched ceiling of the building’s first tenant, Kircher Grocery Store. Read more

Building Community – University Links

Building links between community and university researchers in Participatory Action Research: Lessons for addressing ethical issues in research

Join academics and community members from across Canada on Dec 9th, from 2:00-3:30 pm EST

Activating Change Together for Community Food Security (ACT for CFS) project is a 5 year Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) based out of Food Action Research Centre (FoodARC) at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The project utilizes participatory approaches in all aspects of research, including the development of ethics applications. … This has proven to be a messy and long process, but also one that has made ethics more meaningful to team members in community and academic settings alike. Read more

Global & Local Agro-food Systems

resilience, sustainability or transformation?

Join the Guelph Food Researchers Group on December 5th, 2-4pm, Hutt Building room 234 on the campus of the University of Guelph, for a panel featuring Dr. Manish Raizada with the Plant Agriculture Department; Brendan Johnson, who works with numerous NGO’s on food systems including Everdale Farm and the Guelph Neighborhood Support Coalition; and Tony McQuail who heads Meeting Place Organic Farm and is a longtime practitioner of holistic farming.

Through these speakers, we will get an better understanding of what resilient and/or sustainable farming practice looks like within different contexts, and how resilience and sustainability can be achieved within particular agro-ecosystems. Finally, we want to ask whether resilience and sustainability are still useful terms for understanding agro-ecosystems.

« alimentations du monde »

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

Beyond Emergency Food

Thoughts from both sides of the border

Upcoming webinar Pod-Cast:

Wednesday, December 11, 2013 12-1 p.m. EST

Join Community Food Centres Canada for a webinar Pod-cast with Jessica Powers from the U.S. organization WhyHunger on the work they do to support emergency food providers to go beyond charitable food access programs and create initiatives that foster a more inclusive and sustainable food system. The webinar will cover key principles underlying this work, drivers for transforming organizations, redefining relationships with funders, inspiring examples of change, useful resources and more.

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When: Wednesday December 11, 2013 from 12 to 1 p.m. EST
Where: Your Computer – Register Here! – https://cfccanada.webex.com/
How Much: Free!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ross Curtner at ross@cfccanada.ca.

National Food Security Forum

Food Institute

Join us for the 2014 National Food Security Forum hosted by University of Guelph’s Food Institute.

 
Date: February 19 to 20, 2014
Location: Guelph, Ontario
Regular Fee: $60 + HST   |  Full-Time Student Fee: $20 + HST
Fee Includes:  Cocktail Reception, Banquet Dinner, 2 Lunches

Links:  Program Schedule |  Registration Information

This is the second of two consecutive forums designed to showcase Canada’s expertise in global food security as well as to explore and address the physical, biological and socio-economic constraints that limit food production and the ability of people to access a healthy diet.   The Guelph forum will explore food processing, retailing, distributing and consumer trends in the food industry and extend discussions of the food continuum.

For more information, contact program manager,  Erin Camm, ecamm@uoguelph.ca

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