What's New
New! Food Networks Research Opportunity - please participate
Regional food networks are emerging to address challenges within the dominant food system and develop viable, localized responses. Researchers from the University of Toronto and the BC Food Systems Network are hoping to learn more about how regional food networks work through this survey. This research has the potential to contribute to both policy and to a deeper understanding of the food system in Canada. Throughout the research process, regular dialogue will be held with participating organizations and summary reports will be distributed and shared within each regional network. Broad feedback will be invited through providing the opportunity to correct errors, make additions, and challenge what may be perceived as incorrect interpretations. Finally, each participating organization will be provided with a summary of the completed research. Beyond having full access to the research end product, final "popular" versions will be produced that are accessible to non-academic audiences. One of the central goals of this research is to support and strengthen the food movement in Canada. So please consider taking 15 minutes of your time to strengthen the BC Food Systems Network by helping us to collect information on food networking in the province. Please have one representative of your group or organization fill in the survey. And if you are interested in learning more about this 3-year project, read this Project Summary.
Expanding our conversations!
Over the years that members of the Network have communicated across the province, we have come to recognize the need to have specialized conversations, focused on certain topics or regions. We have also recognized that many of us suffer from information overload and so don't need emails on events or issues not directly related to our respective work on food systems. As a result, we have created the ability to host, under the BC Food Systems Network umbrella, sub-listservs that serve members involved in, for example, co-operatives or the Shuswap region of the Network. To date, we are hosting upwards of 10 topical or regional listservs, with the ability to host many more. With the addition of all these listservs, we want to ensure that the workload of the listserv administrators is not unsustainable. So, we have developed a guide for the listserv subscribers - YOU - to teach you how to manage your listserv experience. This guide will help you to understand how to change the settings on your subscription so you can, for example, receive each post as it is sent or else in a collected "digest" form, or to stop delivery of postings all together when you are away from your computer and don't want to come home to a mountain of emails. Please take the time to download and read our Subscribers Guide in small (180kb) or large (426kb) format.
The following items are not new but continue to be of concern and relevance:
Multi-document Election Toolkit: The BC Food Systems Network encourages our Members around the Province to look at opportunities to bring food issues to the forefront during elections at any level of government, as well as to support the election of "food and agriculture friendly" candidates, that is those who will be working towards a more localized, equitable and sustainable food system. At the Provincial government level many decisions greatly affect our local food systems particularly those about farmland (ALR), farm status and taxation, and health regulation and policy. We need progressive thinking; we need representatives that will show leadership on these important issues. To find out more about elections in BC, your riding and candidates visit: Elections BC. And to read, download and share the Network's Election Toolkit:
- Download the One Page Election Flyer. Includes a brief overview of the issues, what we are asking for and what you can do to help.
- Download Actions and Questions. This document contains 10 Actions and 11 Questions on Food Security to inform your efforts in engaging provincial candidates.
- Download the Food Security Election Primer. The Primer delves into the issues and needs related to food security in greater detail. A great document to help build confidence to engage in the important discussions about how we can all be well fed, now and in the future.
This Toolkit is the result of a collaborative effort amongst Network Members. Special thanks to Wendy Aason, Linda Geggie and David Parkinson for their leadership on this project. Please share this information as widely as you see fit.
The provincial Meat Inspection Regulation threatens small-scale local meat production and consumer access to locally produced, farm-gate meat. As of September 30, 2007, we are no longer able to purchase meat or poultry from our local farmers unless it was processed in a provincially or federally licensed facility. Bringing currently operating unlicensed facilities up to the new standards for licensing is not feasible for most operators. They will not be able to upgrade their facilities, leaving very few, if any, licensed, facilities able to process custom meat, fixed or mobile. Many will be forced out of business, as will the farmers and ranchers that depend on them, the feed and farm equipment suppliers and value added processors that utilize their products.
If this is of concern to you, we encourage you to take a few (or many!) minutes to learn more: read the BC Food Systems Network's Statement on the Regulation submitted to the Premier and all relevant Ministers; download our Action Toolkit; and read our Statement on the Regulation submitted to government in 2004. Please share this information as widely as you see fit.
