Double-digit leaps in home prices across the Vancouver region could force farmers off the land and threaten local food security, a report from Vancity credit union suggests. Farmland prices, including in the rich and productive soils of the Fraser River delta, now range from $150,000 to $350,000 per acre for parcels less than five acres, the study said. Statistics from agricultural lender Farm Credit Canada show land prices above $80,000 per acre can make farming unsustainable.

“The prices are, at the very core, threatening the viability of farming,” said report author Brent Mansfield, director of the BC Food Systems Network. “The cost of farmland, and being able to access that, whether that is for a new farmer with limited access to capital or a farmer who wants to expand their business … is actually beyond the farm income potential,” he said.

The report said non-farmers control large tracts of actively farmed land within the Agricultural Land Reserve and lease it to farmers. As much as 35 per cent of that land is owned by businesses, many described as holding companies with terms such as holding, investment, estate, property, land or development in their name, Mansfield said. That raises concerns that it is being purchased on speculation for future estate homes, development or other non-agricultural use, Mansfield said. Read more……

The Researchers of Laurier initiative was created to showcase the important and innovative graduate student research happening across each campus. This program is designed to celebrate selected individuals and their research to both the Laurier and broader communities. You work hard thinking, researching, and writing. Let us help you promote your work.

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to nominate exceptional graduate student researchers to be recognized across campuses and on the GSA and Laurier websites. One winner per semester, beginning in the fall will be showcased, and all successful Researchers of Laurier will be eligible for the Researcher of Year award at the conclusion of the year. This award includes a $500.00 cash prize, a professional development package, and opportunities to mobilize your research in the Laurier Library Exhibit.

Below, you can learn more about the fall and winter term winners by clicking their names. Then, you can cast your vote for the 2015 – 2016 Researcher of Laurier winner. Only graduate students affiliated with Laurier will be able to vote. Please only vote once.

Congratulations to:

• Michele Vitale
• Monica Molinaro
• Anthony Piscitelli
• Alex Hirniak
• Divyang Patel
• Byomkesh Talukder (Affiliated with Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems)
• Ryan Anningson

The United Nations General Assembly today proclaimed a UN Decade of Action on Nutrition that will run from 2016 to 2025. FAO welcomed the decision, calling it a major step towards mobilising action around reducing hunger and improving nutrition around the world.

Today, nearly 800 million people remain chronically undernourished and over two billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. Meanwhile some 159 million children under 5 years of age are stunted – meaning they are too short for their age. Approximately 50 million children in the same age bracket are wasted – meaning they have low weight for their height. Another 1.9 billion people are overweight — 600 million of these are obese. And prevalence of people who are overweight or obese is increasing in nearly all countries.

Today’s resolution recognises the need to eradicate hunger and prevent all forms of malnutrition worldwide. The Decade of Action on Nutrition will provide an umbrella for a wide group of actors to work together to address these and other pressing nutrition issues. Read more……

Irena Knezevic with contributions from Peter Andrée

Photo credit: Maranda Grant

For most of us who think about the food system, the link between food and climate  change seems obvious. Figuring out exactly what that relationship is can be more blurry. Carleton Climate Commons hosted a roundtable on this topic on March 17^th which was attended by more than 50 students, faculty and community members. Andrew Spring from Wilfrid Laurier University and Dr. Sonia Wesche from the University of Ottawa opened up the discussion with vivid accounts of how climate change affects food systems in Canada’s North. From melting permafrost to increasingly unreliable ice-roads, to changing flora and fauna, they established a clear link between climate change and one of Canada’s most pressing challenges – food insecurity in the North. Though their accounts were mostly grim, they also offered hope through showcasing initiatives like the Northern Farm Training Institute in Hay River, community gardens, and substitutions strategies where communities are moving to eating wild game that is more abundant now as caribou herds continue to decline. Dr. Leah Temper from Seeds of Survival (USC Canada) brought an international perspective to the discussion by describing the international programs focused on seed security and diversification. She offered an optimistic account of how seed saving and sharing can not only facilitate adaptation to climate change, but also support small-scale farmers who are struggling to survive in the globalized food system.

Carleton University’s Dr. Peter Andrée acted as a respondent and provided an insightful commentary reminding the audience that we need to consider these issues in the wider context of how the global food system contributes to climate change, through monoculture-heavy agriculture, industrial meat production, and monumental food waste. Dr. Andrée noted some key themes across the three presentations, including the centrality of issues of social justice, the links between realizing food security and food sovereignty, and the need for climate change adaptation processes to be based in the participation of those communities and individuals most severely affected. The general discussion that followed engaged the audience in an exploration of how we can contribute to addressing climate change and food problems through both individual and collective action. By bringing together speakers from three universities and one organization, as well as diverse audience, Carleton Climate Commons offered a space for learning, dialogue and hope for action.

We are recruiting participants for the second round of interviews for our study Canadian “family farms” in the twenty-first century. This study aims to better understand how well the term “family farm” applies to today’s farms in Canada. The questions you will be asked will consist in understanding some of the day-to-day on your farm, the importance you place on the ideas and values around “family farming”, and your experiences and opinions on the broader Canadian agricultural landscape (e.g. changes you are seeing in your area in farm ownership or your community). Our research team consists of Dr. Irena Knezevic (Carleton University), Dr. Kelly Bronson (St. Thomas University) and Chantal Clement (graduate student at Carleton University).

We are interested in speaking to Canadian farmers over the age of 18, whose farms fit the designation of a “family farm”.  (A family farm is any farm not managed by a commune, co-operative, or a non-family corporation). If you are interested to participate you will be asked for one 30-60 minute phone interview. If you would like to participate in this research project, or have any questions, please contact Chantal Clement atchantal_clement@carleton.ca. Alternatively, you can also contact Dr. Irena Knezevic at (613) 520-2600 ext. 4121 or Irena.Knezevic@Carleton.ca.

SPRING FORUM PROGRAM

Thursday, March 24, 2016, 1pm to 4pm

Laurier Concourse

 PROGRAM

1:00 PM Welcome and Land Acknowledgments

1:10 PM On Campus Partner, Class and Community Food Project Presentations

• Sustainability Office – Claire Bennet – Manager, WLU Sustainability Office
• WLU Farmers Market
• Laurier Special Interest Research Group
• GS441 Ecological Citizenship Class Presentation on School Gardens – Dr. Stephen Svenson and Students
• Mino-Kummik: Aboriginal Community Garden
• Seven Shores – Steve Tulloch
• Young City Growers – Faith Nifa – YCG Volunteer

1:55 BREAK

2:00 PM Keynote Speaker Introduction: Lauren Ames – Volunteer, Young City Growers

2:10 PM Keynote Address and Q & A – Anan Lololi – African Food Basket, Founder & Executive Director

2:50 PM BREAK

3:00 PM Panel Presentations and Discussion

PANELISTS:

Joel Knight – Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable & 365Local Urban Aquaponics, Dr. Alison Blay Palmer – Laurier Centre for Community Service Learning and FLEdGE Project, Fanis Juma Radstake – Young City Growers & Anan Lololi – Afri-Can Food Basket

 3:50 PM CLOSE

Farm Site Address: Northdale Campus, Wilfrid Laurier University, 66 Hickory Street, Waterloo, ON Ÿ Office Address: C/o KW Counselling Services, 480 Charles Street East, Kitchener, Ontario. N2G 4K5 ŸEmail: youngcitygrowers@gmail.com Ÿ Website: www.youngcitygrowers.org