Episodes
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Season 4: Episode 6 â Handpicked Presents Voicing Change - Team Reflections on Podcasting for Social Change
Featuring:
In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we present the last of this season featuring the Voicing Change podcast, in an episode called âTeam Reflections on Podcasting for Social Changeâ in which the whole Voicing Change team got together (virtually!) to reflect on some of the lessons learned in the process of co-developing a methodology for transnational and interdisciplinary podcasting. Responding to the question âWhat does âvoicing changeâ mean to you in the context of being part of this academic Community of Practice?â, team members from Canada, Kenya and Brazil discuss a number of emerging lessons, including how we co-construct meaning, the conditions necessary to elicit- and truly hear- othersâ voices, and thoughts on the opportunities- and challenges- of the podcast format as a way for academics to really value the voices and experiences of our interlocutors. Voicing change, it seems, is change itself.
Contributors
Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Charlie Spring
Sound Design & Editing: Narayan SubramoniamGuests
Enock MacâOuma, Andres Kathunzi, Olga Millicent Awuor, Eve Nimmo, Brenda Rotter, Laureen Silva, Alessandra de Carvalho, Renata Kempf, and Andrew Spring.
Support & Funding
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International Affairs
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)Music Credits
Ali Razmi
Keenan Reimer-WattsResources
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose Land
Voicing Change
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
CedErva
Rongo UniversityConnect with Us:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked Podcast
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Season 4, Episode 5â Handpicked Presents: Voicing Change â âAgroecology in Kenyaâ
Contributors
Co-Producers & Hosts: Olga Awuor, Laine Young & Charlie Spring
Featuring: Clark Siaji, Caleb Omolo, Andres Kathunzi
In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we present an episode of the Voicing Change Podcast called, âAgroecology in Kenya'. Voicing Change team member and radio journalist Olga Millicent Awuor interviews two community leaders in agroecological and permacultural food production in the Migori County area. They consider alternative modes of farming as pathways to greater food sovereignty, especially for marginalized groups including women and youth. How can movements and practices for agroecology support decent livelihoods while restoring ecological diversity and resilience, and what are the barriers to change in Kenya, where agrifood policy tends to encourage monocultural production for export?
Voicing Change Team: Enock Mac'Ouma, Andres Kathunzi, Evelyn Nimmo, Renata Kempf, Brenda Rotter, Laureen Silva, Alessandra de Carvalho, Murilo Siqueira, Andrew Spring
Sound Design & Editing: Narayan SubramoniamSupport & Funding
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International Affairs
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)Music Credits
Ali Razmi
Keenan Reimer-WattsResources
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose Land
Voicing Change
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food SystemsRongo University
CedErva
Rongo UniversityAgroecology at the FAO
Growing Small featuring Calebâs forest garden (YouTube)
Wachna Greenworld CBO (Facebook)
Connect with Us:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked Podcast
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Missing episodes?
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Season 4: Episode 3 â Handpicked Presents: Voicing Change â âAgroecology in Canada and Brazilâ
Featuring: Dr Andrew Spring, Dr Eve Nimmo, Dr Erin Nelson
In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we present an episode of the Voicing Change Podcast called, âAgroecology in Canada and Brazilâ in which we hear from three researchers investigating what agroecology means and looks like on the ground. Dr Erin Nelson describes her own discovery of agroecology in Cuba and Ontario and how she realized that itâs about more than just a set of techniques but also about a change of mindset in how we use land and resources. Additionally, it calls for knowledge co-creation between the experiential knowledge of food producers and researchers- and using this knowledge to nourish social movements that can transform agrifood policy and practices. Dr Eve Nimmo describes the Indigenous knowledge roots of agroecology in Latin America and describes agroecology as a way to work with farmers growing food in traditional ways in Brazilian forests. Dr Andrew Spring links this to Indigenous stewardship in northern Canada. But does it produce enough food?
Contributors
Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Charlie Spring
Voicing Change Team: Olga Awuor, Enock Mac'Ouma, Andres Kathunzi, Evelyn Nimmo, Renata Kempf, Brena Rotter, Laureen Silva, Alessandra de Carvalho, Murilo Siqueira, Andrew Spring
Sound Design & Editing: Narayan Subramoniam
Guests
Dr Erin Nelson
Dr Eve Nimmo
Dr Andrew SpringSupport & Funding
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International Affairs
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)Music Credits
Ali Razmi
Keenan Reimer-WattsResources
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose Land
Voicing Change
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
CedErva
Rongo University
Agroecology at the FAO
National Association of Small Farmers (Cuba)
Ecological Farmers Association of OntarioConnect with Us:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked Podcast
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Season 4: Episode 3 â Handpicked Presents: Voicing Change - âForests, Food, and People- Part 2â
Featuring: Dr. Eve Nimmo, Dr. Jennifer Baltzer, Dr. Zach Ngalo, and Dr. Andre Lacerda
In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we present an episode of the Voicing Change Podcast called, âForests, Food, and People â Part 2â. This is the second of a two part episode where Voicing Change team member Eve Nimmo interviews three forest researchers in Southern Brazil, Migori County, Kenya, and Northern Canada about relationships between forests, food and people. In this episode we hear about threats facing forests and forest communities- and how those communities and their allies are fighting back.
Contributors
Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Charlie Spring
Voicing Change Team: Olga Awuor, Enock Mac'Ouma, Andres Kathunzi, Evelyn Nimmo, Renata Kempf, Brena Rotter, Laureen Silva, Alessandra de Carvalho, Murilo Siqueira, Andrew Spring
Sound Design & Editing: Narayan Subramoniam
Guests
Dr. Eve Nimmo
Dr. Jennifer Baltzer
Dr. Zach Ngalo
Dr. Andre LacerdaSupport & Funding
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International Affairs
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)Music Credits
Ali Razmi
Keenan Reimer-WattsResources
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose Land
Voicing Change
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
CedErva
Rongo University
Embrapa
Connect with Us:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked Podcast
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Season 4: Episode 2 â Handpicked Presents: Voicing Change - âForests, Food, and People- Part 1â
Featuring: Dr. Eve Nimmo, Dr. Jennifer Baltzer, Dr. Zach Ngalo, and Dr. Andre Lacerda
In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we present an episode of the Voicing Change Podcast called, âForests, Food, and People â Part 1â. This is the first of a two part episode where our guests will tell us about relationships between forests, food and people in different places. Youâll hear about the different types of forests that our guests work in, how people use these forests, and how the forests are managed. Voicing Change team member Eve Nimmo interviews three forest researchers in Southern Brazil, Migori County, Kenya, and Northern Canada.
Contributors
Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Charlie Spring
Voicing Change Team: Olga Awuor, Enock Mac'Ouma, Andres Kathunzi, Evelyn Nimmo, Renata Kempf, Brena Rotter, Laureen Silva, Alessandra de Carvalho, Murilo Siqueira, Andrew Spring
Sound Design & Editing: Narayan Subramoniam
Guests
Dr. Eve Nimmo
Dr. Jennifer Baltzer
Dr. Zach Ngalo
Dr. Andre LacerdaSupport & Funding
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International Affairs
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)Music Credits
Ali Razmi
Keenan Reimer-WattsResources
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose Land
Voicing Change
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
CedErva
Embrapa
Rongo UniversityConnect with Us:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked Podcast
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Season 4: Episode 1 â Handpicked Presents: Voicing Change - âIntroducing Voicing Changeâ
Featuring: Dr. Andrew Spring, Dr. Eve Nimmo, Enock Mac'Ouma
In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we present an episode of the Voicing Change Podcast called, âIntroducing Voicing Change.â This episode introduces the project, "Voicing Change: Co-Creating Knowledge and Capacity for Sustainable Food Systems."
The project connects community partners, researchers, and students from three regionsâNorthwest Territories; Migori County, Kenya; and Southern Brazilâto create a Community of Practice exploring local, innovative, and sustainable food systems that centre traditional and Indigenous knowledges.
The project aims to:
-celebrate local food expertise and traditional knowledge that contribute to traditional, equitable, and culturally appropriate community food systems
-amplify the voices of community members and knowledge holders as they share their technical expertise
-spark food systems innovations that flow through the Community of Practice and are adapted and piloted in other areas
The projectâs goal is to build a healthier, more equitable, and socio-ecologically resilient future that is grounded in sustainable local food systems and centres Indigenous and traditional knowledges.
REGIONS AND KEY PARTNERS
Northwest Territories: Kaâaâgee Tu First Nation, Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Waterloo
Southern Brazil: CEDErva and Embrapa Forestry
Migori County, Kenya: Rongo University and UNESCO Chair on Community Radio for Agricultural Education
FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Voicing Change is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We would like to acknowledge that these podcasts have been recorded on the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples in the lands now known as Canada, Brazil and Kenya. Though the histories of colonization, decolonization and reconciliation differ across these contexts, we recognise the ongoing legacies of colonial dispossession that have contributed to the food system injustices that we tackle in this podcast. Nevertheless, this podcast was also inspired by the survivance of traditional food systems based on care for the land and other beings; we acknowledge and pay our respects to the ancestors, elders and inheritors of these ways of knowing and being that continue to benefit us all to this day. In a spirit of reciprocity, we recognise the harms done by colonial powers, including by institutions of higher learning, and aim to cultivate an approach of listening and sharing knowledge rather than extracting and profiting from it.
Contributors
Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Charlie Spring
Voicing Change Team: Olga Awuor, Enock Mac'Ouma, Andres Kathunzi, Evelyn Nimmo, Renata Kempf, Brena Rotter, Laureen Silva, Alessandra de Carvalho, Murilo Siqueira, Andrew Spring
Sound Design & Editing: Narayan Subramoniam
Guests
Dr. Andrew Spring
Dr. Eve Nimmo
Enock Mac'Ouma
Support & Funding
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International Affairs
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)Music Credits
Ali Razmi
Keenan Reimer-WattsResources
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose Land
Voicing Change
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
CedErva
Rongo UniversityConnect with Us:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked Podcast
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Featuring: Naomi Robert
In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we speak with Naomi Robert, a Research & Extension Associate at the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems at Kwantlen Polytechnique University and a PhD candidate at Simon Fraser University on her new project called âBeyond GDP: Lessons for Redefining Progress in Canadian Food System Policyâ. Naomi discusses the problematic history of GDP as a measure of well-being in our country and how we can move towards measures that more accurately depict the well-being of Canadians.
Contributors
Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Amanda Di Battista
Producer: Charlie Spring
Sound Design & Editing: Narayan SubramoniamGuests
Naomi Robert
Support & Funding
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International AffairsMusic Credits
Keenan Reimer-Watts
Resources
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose Land
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food SystemsKwantlen Polytechnique University Institute for Sustainable Food Systems
Simon Fraser University â Food Systems Lab
Genuine Progress Indicator
Canadian Index of Wellbeing
Quality of Life Framework for Canada
Wellbeing Economy Alliance
Stiglitz Commission
Community Resources & Applications of Doughnut Economics
Articles, Podcasts & Essays
Podcast: Kate Raworth: âThe Superorganism V. The Doughnutâ - resilience
Article: This Pioneering Economist Says Our Obsession With Growth Must End - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Essay: Economics for a Full World, by Herman Daly Daly-Economics-Full-World.pdf (greattransition.org)
Books
Raworth, K. (2017). Doughnut Economics: seven ways to think like a 21st century economist. Chelsea Green Publishing.
Hickel, J. (2021). Less is more. Windmill Books.
References and Textbooks
Daly, H. E., & Farley, J. C. (2011). Ecological economicsâŻ: principles and applications (2nd ed.). Island Press.
Daly, H. E., & Cobb. J.B. (1994). For the Common Good. (2nd ed.). Beacon Press
Connect with Us:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked Podcast
Glossary of Terms
Agrifood System
âThe agri-food system spans diverse supply chains, from meat and fish to dairy, eggs, crops and produce. Each supply chain involves a variety of stakeholders from farmers, processors, distributors, retailers and consumers that operate at local, provincial, national and even international levelsâ
https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/sustainability/for-researchers/the-agri-food-system/#:~:text=The%20agri%2Dfood%20system%20spans,national%20and%20even%20international%20levels.
Doughnut Economics
âDoughnut Economics proposes an economic mindset that's fit for our times. It's not a set of policies and institutions, but rather a way of thinking to bring about the regenerative and distributive dynamics that this century calls for. Drawing on insights from diverse schools of economic thought - including ecological, feminist, institutional, behavioural and complexity economics - it sets out seven ways to think like a 21st century economist in order to transform economies, local to global.
The starting point of Doughnut Economics is to change the goal from endless GDP growth to thriving in the Doughnut. At the same time, see the big picture by recognising that the economy is embedded within, and dependent upon, society and the living world.âhttps://doughnuteconomics.org/about-doughnut-economics
Economic Growth
âAn economy grows when it has the capacity to produce more. Production is based on how much capital, labor, natural resources, and technology it has to produce. Policies that encourage the accumulation of any of these leads to economic growth.â
https://www.khanacademy.org/economics-finance-domain/ap-macroeconomics/ap-long-run-consequences-of-stabilization-policies/economic-growth/a/lesson-summary-economic-growth
Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI)
âDescribed by its authors, the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) provides citizens and policymakers fruitful insight by recognizing economic activity that diminishes both natural and social capital. Further, the GPI is designed to measure sustainable economic welfare rather than economic activity alone. To accomplish this, the GPI uses three simple underlying principles for its methodology:
account for income inequality,
include non-market benefits that are not included in Gross Domestic Product, and
identify and deduct bads such as environmental degradation, human health effects, and loss of leisure time.
The GPI developers identified 26 indicators, then populate them with verifiable data. As one example, the pure economic activity stemming from the explosive growth of urban sprawl contributes greatly to the GDP. Yet, along with sprawl come non-economic costs such as increased commuting time, increased traffic congestion, land use conversion, and automobile impacts. In short, just because we are exchanging money within an economy does not necessarily mean that we are sustainable or prosperous.â
https://dnr.maryland.gov/mdgpi/Pages/what-is-the-GPI.aspx
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
âGDP measures the monetary value of final goods and servicesâthat is, those that are bought by the final userâproduced in a country in a given period of time (say a quarter or a year). It counts all of the output generated within the borders of a country. GDP is composed of goods and services produced for sale in the market and also includes some nonmarket production, such as defense or education services provided by the government.â
https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/Series/Back-to-Basics/gross-domestic-product-GDP
Migrant Labour Issues
âShifts in demographic and economic patterns are pushing workers to cross borders for jobs in ever increasing numbers. Migrants often leave their home communities due to extreme poverty and face exploitation as they search for work in unfamiliar terrain. They are commonly subject to subcontracting schemes and precarious jobs in the informal economy. They make vital economic contributions to both their host countries and countries of origin, but confront a dire lack of workplace protection and social security.â
https://laborrights.org/issues/migrant-labor
Planetary Boundaries
âThe planetary boundaries concept presents a set of nine planetary boundaries within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations to come.
Crossing boundaries increases the risk of generating large-scale abrupt or irreversible environmental changes. Drastic changes will not necessarily happen overnight, but together the boundaries mark a critical threshold for increasing risks to people and the ecosystems we are part of.
Boundaries are interrelated processes within the complex biophysical Earth system. This means that a global focus on climate change alone is not sufficient for increased sustainability. Instead, understanding the interplay of boundaries, especially climate, and loss of biodiversity, is key in science and practice.â
https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/planetary-boundaries/the-nine-planetary-boundaries.html
Canadaâs Quality of Life Framework
âThe Quality of Life Framework for Canada brings together data for approximately 85 key indicators on the well-being of people in Canada. The Framework enables the federal government to identify future policy priorities and to build on previous actions to improve evidence-based decision making and budgeting.
âThe Quality of Life Framework for Canada is organized into domains, each of which includes a number of indicators, as shown on the Quality of Life Framework for Canada infosheet. These domains were selected based on evidence of the determinants of well-being to reflect what matters most for quality of life in Canada: prosperity, health, society, the environment and good governance. In addition, the indicators of life satisfaction and sense of meaning and purpose are included as overall measures of quality of life.â
https://www160.statcan.gc.ca/index-eng.htm
Well-Being Economy
âA Wellbeing Economy is an economy designed to serve people and the planet, not the other way around. Rather than treating economic growth as an end in and of itself and pursuing it at all costs, a Wellbeing Economy puts our human and planetary needs at the centre of its activities, ensuring that these needs are all equally met, by defaultâ
https://weall.org/what-is-wellbeing-economy
Discussion Questions
An increase in GDP is often assumed to be positive for society overall. Does this episode change your assumptions about growth?
Naomi shared some of the limitations of using GDP as a measure of well-being in the episode. What are some other examples of these types of limitations? What does GDP overlook?
How might alternatives like the âCanadian Index of Wellbeingâ and âA Quality of Life Framework for Canadaâ help address some of the shortcomings of pursuing economic growth at all costs?
Can you imagine how your local food system might look differently if we used quality of life indicators (like public and environmental health impacts) as the primary motivators for food production and distribution?
In many ways, our current economic system forces governments to pursue economic growth (sustaining employment, repaying debt, etc.). What changes to our economic system can allow governments to pursue wellbeing over economic growth? Explore the additional resources in the show notes for more information.
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Featuring Dr. Evelyn Nimmo
In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we sit down with Dr. Evelyn Nimmo, a Research Associate with the LCSFS and the President of the Center for the Development and Education of Traditional Erva-mate Systems (CEDErva) in ParanĂĄ, Brazil. Dr. Nimmo shares the ongoing process of applying for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organizationâs (FAO) Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) designation for the traditional agroforestry practices of growing erva-mate in Brazil. She shares the community-focused process, and how this designation might positively affect the practice on the ground.
Contributors
Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Amanda Di Battista
Producer: Charlie Spring
Sound Design & Editing: Narayan SubramoniamGuests
Dr. Evelyn Nimmo
Support & Funding
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International AffairsMusic Credits
Keenan Reimer-Watts
Resources
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose Land
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
UNESCO Chair on Food, Biodiversity & SustainabilityCEDErva: Center for the Development and Education of Traditional Erva Mate Systems
GIAHS: Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems
Voicing Change: Co-Creating Knowledge and Capacity for Sustainable Food SystemsConnect with Us:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked Podcast
Glossary of Terms
Season 3, Episode 5 â âResilient Communities for the Futureâ: A GIAHS Designation for Agroforestry in Brazil"
Featuring:âŻDr. Evelyn NimmoGlossary of TermsâŻ
Agroecology
âAgroecology is a holistic and integrated approach that simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agriculture and food systems. It seeks to optimize the interactions between plants, animals, humans and the environment while also addressing the need for socially equitable food systems within which people can exercise choice over what they eat and how and where it is produced.âhttps://www.fao.org/agroecology/overview/en/
Agrobiodiversity
âAgrobiodiversity is the result of the interaction between the environment, genetic resources and management systems and practices used by culturally diverse peoples, and therefore land and water resources are used for production in different ways. Thus, agrobiodiversity encompasses the variety and variability of animals, plants and micro-organisms that are necessary for sustaining key functions of the agro-ecosystem, including its structure and processes for, and in support of, food production and food security (FAO, 1999a). Local knowledge and culture can therefore be considered as integral parts of agrobiodiversity, because it is the human activity of agriculture that shapes and conserves this biodiversity.â
https://www.fao.org/3/y5609e/y5609e01.htm#:~:text=%5BBox%202%5D%20A%20DEFINITION%20OF,%2C%20livestock%2C%20forestry%20and%20fisheries.
Agroforestry
âAgroforestry is a collective name for land-use systems and technologies where woody perennials (trees, shrubs, palms, bamboos, etc.) are deliberately used on the same land-management units as agricultural crops and/or animals, in some form of spatial arrangement or temporal sequence. In agroforestry systems there are both ecological and economical interactions between the different components. Agroforestry can also be defined as a dynamic, ecologically based, natural resource management system that, through the integration of trees on farms and in the agricultural landscape, diversifies and sustains production for increased social, economic and environmental benefits for land users at all levels. In particular, agroforestry is crucial to smallholder farmers and other rural people because it can enhance their food supply, income and health. Agroforestry systems are multifunctional systems that can provide a wide range of economic, sociocultural, and environmental benefits.â
https://www.fao.org/forestry/agroforestry/80338/en/
AraucĂĄria
âThe Araucaria moist forests ecoregion spans the mountainous areas of Southern Atlantic Brazil and extends into northeastern Argentina. It is a coniferous forest ecoregion of the Atlantic Forest biomeâ
https://lacgeo.com/araucaria-moist-forests
âThe AraucĂĄria Forest once covered 40% of the territory of ParanĂĄ... following centuries of unrestrained timber extraction and misguided political decisions, the forest only has an unbelievable 3% of its original areaâ
https://www.restaurabrasil.org.br/en/our-projects/araucaria-forest/
Community of Practice
âA community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a common concern, a set of problems, or an interest in a topic and who come together to fulfill both individual and group goals. Communities of practice often focus on sharing best practices and creating new knowledge to advance a domain of professional practice. Interaction on an ongoing basis is an important part of this. Many communities of practice rely on face-to-face meetings as well as web-based collaborative environments to communicate, connect and conduct community activities.â
https://www.communityofpractice.ca/background/what-is-a-community-of-practice/
Conscientization
âThe process of developing a critical awareness of oneâs social reality through reflection and action. Action is fundamental because it is the process of changing the reality. Paulo Freire says that we all acquire social myths which have a dominant tendency, and so learning is a critical process which depends upon uncovering real problems and actual needs.â
https://freire.org/concepts-used-by-paulo-freire
Dynamic Conservation Plan
âDynamic conservation strategies which are designed to create, retain or enhance habitat in temporary and adaptable ways, can reinforce the value of protected areas and help species persist in a changing world. Developing and deploying dynamic conservation strategies is especially important for migratory species, marine systems and for adaptive management of climate change-driven species redistributions. Dynamic conservation strategies will become increasingly important for biodiversity conservation, especially as a means of facilitating adaptation to climate change and its concomitant variability and extremes, such as extended drought.â
https://www.scienceforconservation.org/science-in-action/dynamic-conservation-story#:~:text=Adaptable%20solutions%20are%20needed.,persist%20in%20a%20changing%20world.
Erva Mate/ ChimarrĂŁo (Portuguese) / Yerba mate (Spanish)
âErva-mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a tree that grows naturally in the Araucaria Forest, which is part of the Atlantic Forest biome, an ecosystem that is at risk of extinction. Within the region known as the Rio de la Plata Basin, where important Brazilian rivers flow, such as the ParanĂĄ, Iguaçu, Uruguay and Paraguay Rivers, erva-mate is linked to the traditions of the original inhabitants of southern Brazil. A key element in the Araucaria Forest, erva mate is cultivated and harvested to provide nutritious and delicious teas and infusions that are part of indigenous and settler food ways and cultures.â
https://www.cederva.org/en/sistemas-de-producao
Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS)
âGlobally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) are agroecosystems inhabited by communities that live in an intricate relationship with their territory. These evolving sites are resilient systems characterized by remarkable agrobiodiversity, traditional knowledge, invaluable cultures and landscapes, sustainably managed by farmers, herders, fisherfolk, and forest people in ways that contribute to their livelihoods and food security. Through the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has designated over 60 sites around the world.â
https://www.fao.org/giahs/en/
Industrial Agriculture System
Large scale, intensive agriculture or animal production systems that rely on chemical fertilizers, and practices that lack diversity, such as monocropping and genetic modification. These systems are built to maximize production and profit, often at the expense of biodiversity and the health and wellbeing of animals.
Discussion Questions
Season 3, Episode 5 â âResilient Communities for the Futureâ: A GIAHS Designation for Agroforestry in Brazil"
Featuring:âŻDr. Evelyn NimmoDiscussion Questions
1. How might the GIAHS designation (and project activities like creating digital narratives) help convince young people to stay in their communities and farm using traditional systems? Why is this a goal for the project?
2. Dr. Nimmo talks about the âhuman elementsâ of the erva mate system, why are those just as important as the biophysical elements? What might this mean for our understanding of âconservationâ?
3. A goal of the project is to help traditional farmers recover autonomy and recognition, to challenge the invisibilization of the farmer in the supply chain of erva mate. Can you apply this idea of invisibilization to your own experience of accessing food? Do you know of concepts, social movements or business approaches that attempt to increase democracy in food systems? What is the role of consumers in all of this?
4. How does the work of CEDErva, and the erva mate growers, challenge common perceptions of what is meant by âmodernâ and âinnovativeâ when it comes to food systems?
5. What role does farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing, and recognition of the role of Indigenous knowledge, play in a process of reconciliation in settler-colonial contexts like Brazil (and other places)?
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Featuring Dr. Erin Nelson, Dr. Sarah Larsen, Heather Newman, Brent Preston
In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, Dr. Erin Nelson from the University of Guelph interviews some of her community partners. She speaks with Dr. Sarah Larsen, Research Director at the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario, and two participants in its farmer-led research program, Heather Newman and Brent Preston. The episode covers ecological farming and farmer-led research and shares important examples of what this looks like in the (quite literally) field.
Contributors
Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Amanda Di Battista
Producer: Charlie Spring
Sound Design & Editing: Narayan SubramoniamGuests
Dr. Erin Nelson
Dr. Sarah Larsen
Heather Newman
Brent PrestonSupport & Funding
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International AffairsMusic Credits
Keenan Reimer-Watts
Resources
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose Land
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
UNESCO Chair on Food, Biodiversity & Sustainability
Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario
EFAOâs Farmer-Led Research Program
EFAOâs Research Library
EFAO 2018: Minimum tillage with tarps Does tarping between succession plantings reduce the amount of tillage and labour required for organic salad production?
EFAO 2020 Research Report: Performance of Chantecler chickens on a reduced protein grower ration
Farmers for Climate Solutions
Evaluating the EFAOâs Farmer-Led Research Program
Nelson, E., Hargreaves, S., & Muldoon, D. (2023). Farmer knowledge as formal knowledge: A case study of farmer-led research in Ontario, Canada. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 12(4), 1â24.Connect with Us:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked Podcast
Glossary of Terms
Agroecology
âAgroecology is a holistic and integrated approach that simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agriculture and food systems. It seeks to optimize the interactions between plants, animals, humans and the environment while also addressing the need for socially equitable food systems within which people can exercise choice over what they eat and how and where it is produced.âhttps://www.fao.org/agroecology/overview/en/
Biodiversity
âBiological diversity â or biodiversity â is the variety of life on Earth, in all its forms, from genes and bacteria to entire ecosystems such as forests or coral reefs. The biodiversity we see today is the result of 4.5 billion years of evolution, increasingly influenced by humans. Biodiversity forms the web of life that we depend on for so many things â food, water, medicine, a stable climate, economic growth, among others.â
https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/biodiversity
Climate Change Adaptation
âAdaptation refers to adjustments in ecological, social or economic systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli and their effects. It refers to changes in processes, practices and structures to moderate potential damages or to benefit from opportunities associated with climate change. In simple terms, countries and communities need to develop adaptation solutions and implement actions to respond to current and future climate change impacts.â
https://unfccc.int/topics/adaptation-and-resilience/the-big-picture/introduction
Ecological Agriculture
âRegenerative, organic and other holistic practices that improve soil health, protect vital resources such as water and biodiversity, reduce synthetic inputs and prioritize renewable energy sources.
Socially engaged practices that ensure that farming communities are diverse, vibrant, and resilient, while making healthy agricultural products accessible.
Forward-looking practices that are knowledge-intensive and regionally specific, and embrace the potential benefits that innovation and technology provide.â
https://efao.ca/about/
EFAO
âThe Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario (EFAO) supports farmers to build resilient ecological farms and grow a strong knowledge-sharing community. Established in 1979 by farmers for farmers, EFAO is a membership organization that focuses on farmer-led education, research and community building. EFAO brings farmers together so they can learn from each other and improve the health of their soils, crops, livestock and the environment, to steward resilient ecological farms.â
https://efao.ca/
Extension Services
âAn agricultural extension service offers technical advice on agriculture to farmers, and also supplies them with the necessary inputs and services to support their agricultural production. It provides information to farmers and passes to the farmers new ideas developed by agricultural research stations. Agricultural extension programmes cover a broad area including improved crop varieties, better livestock control, improved water management, and the control of weeds, pests or plant diseases. Where appropriate, agricultural extension may also help to build up local farmers' groups and organizations so that they can benefit from extension programmes. Agricultural extension, therefore, provides the indispensable elements that farmers need to improve their agricultural productivity.â
https://www.fao.org/3/t0060e/T0060E03.htm#:~:text=An%20agricultural%20extension%20service%20offers,developed%20by%20agricultural%20research%20stations.
Farmer-led research
âFarmer-led research is a process of inquiry that uses the scientific method to address your on-farm curiosities and challenges in a way that is compatible with your farming and your equipment. It is a flexible and powerful tool that can be integral to improving operations on your farm, including the environmental and economic impacts of your innovations and comparisons.â
https://efao.ca/farmer-led-research/
Tillage
âTillageâturning the soil to control for weeds and pests and to prepare for seedingâhas long been part of crop farming. However, intensive soil tillage can increase the likelihood of soil erosion, nutrient runoff into nearby waterways, and the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. A reduction in how often or how intensively cropland is tilled enables the soil to retain more organic matter, which leaves the soil less susceptible to wind and water erosion and helps store, or "sequester," carbon.â
https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-practices-management/crop-livestock-practices/soil-tillage-and-crop-rotation/
Discussion Questions
What are some of the benefits of âfarmer-led researchâ compared to research proposed and carried out by an external organization or agency?
What did hearing from the farmer-researchers themselves add to your understanding?
The farmer-researchers talk about isolation in the farming profession. How do you think participation in the farmer-led research program could help with that isolation?
One guest mentioned the de-funding of extension services in Canada. Why do you think access to knowledge about ecological and organic farming might be in decline? How do you think farmer-led research could make up for some of this loss of knowledge in Canada? How might farmer-led extension services differ from- and improve upon- more traditional structures of agricultural extension?
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Hosted by:âŻDr. Marylynn Steckley
Produced in collaboration with: Dr. Sonia Wesche, Victoria Marchand, & Dr. Josh Steckley
In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we present an episode of the Indigenous Health and Food Systems Podcast called, âEnvironmental Dispossession, Land, and the Environmentâ This podcast is hosted by Dr. Marylynn Steckley from Carleton University and is produced in collaboration with Dr. Sonia Wesche and Victoria Marchand from the University of Ottawa and Dr. Josh Steckley from the University of Toronto, Scarborough. The Indigenous Health and Food Systems Podcast aims to elevate the voices of Indigenous scholars in the areas of Indigenous health, food sovereignty, and the social determinants of health. This episode explores the complicated nature of Indigenous connections to land, and how that impacts Indigenous food systems. The guests in the episode explore ideas of environmental dispossession, traditional Indigenous food practices, and environmental stewardship.
Contributors
Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Amanda Di Battista
Producer: Charlie Spring
Sound Design & Editing: Laine Young & Narayan Subramoniam
Guests
Dr. Kahente Horn-Miller
Dr. Hannah Tait Neufeld
Ida Harkness
Emily Charman
Chanel Best
Brette Thomson
Hannah Arnold
Support & Funding
Funding for the Indigenous Health & Food Systems Podcast episode was provided to M. Steckley and S. Wesche by a Shared Online Projects Initiative grant through a partnership between the University of Ottawa and Carleton University.
Dr. Josh Steckley was supported by the Sustainable Food and Farming Futures Cluster at the University of Toronto, Scarborough
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International Affairs
CIGI
Music Credits
Keenan Reimer-Watts
Keith Whiteduck
Resources
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose Land
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Indigenous Food Systems and Food Sovereignty PodcastThe Inconvenient Indian
Tait Neufeld, H. And C.A.M., Richmond, Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre. 2017. Impacts of Place and Social Spaces on Traditional Food Systems in Southwestern Ontario. International Journal of Indigenous Health 12(1):93.
Connect with Us:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked Podcast
Glossary of Terms
Alienation
In Marxist thought, the separation of humans from meaningful engagement with their lifeworlds, specifically through wage labour.
https://www.yorku.ca/horowitz/courses/lectures/35_marx_alienation.html
Colonialism
âColonialism has been defined as systems and practices that âseek to impose the will of one people on another and to use the resources of the imposed people for the benefit of the imposerâ (Assante, 2006). Colonialism can operate within political, sociological, cultural values and systems of a place even after occupation by colonizers has ended. Colonization is defined as the act of political, physical and intellectual occupation of space by the (often forceful) displacement of Indigenous populations, and gives rise to settler-colonialism, colonial and neo-colonial relations, and coloniality."https://www.yorku.ca/edu/unleading/systems-of-oppression/coloniality-and-settler-colonialism/
The Coming Faces/ Seven Generations
The Coming Faces is a metaphor for future generations that will need food, water, and land (Horn-Miller â this episode). It is a way of acting with future generations in mind and aligns with the Anishnabek principle of the Seven Generations (Steckley â this episode).
Crown Land
Land owned by the provincial government.
Displacement
An act of physical and spiritual removal of people from land, an act of colonization.
Environmental Dispossession
This describes the loss of land and physical displacement that has resulted in Indigenous populations experiencing trauma, poverty, health and other social problems.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1200&context=aprci
Environmental Stewardship
âThe responsible use and protection of the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices to enhance ecosystem resilience and human well-being"
https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/9774650
Food sovereigntyâŻ
"Food Sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems."âŻ
https://viacampesina.org/en/âŻ
Grounded Normativity
âTerm by Indigenous scholar Glen Coulthard to describe Indigenous peoplesâ relationships to land and place, and the solidarity that emerges from this."
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26359594
Indian Act
A policy enacted by the federal government in 1876 which led to the elimination of any Indigenous self-government, mandated attendance in residential schools, banned Indigenous spiritual and cultural activities, removal of land, and other discriminatory actions.
https://www.nwac.ca/assets-knowledge-centre/Indian-Act-Said-What-infographic.pdf
Land Back
âa movement that has existed for generations with a long legacy of organizing and sacrifice to get Indigenous Lands back into Indigenous hands.â
https://landback.org/
Original Instructions
The constellation of teachings and ethical guidelines for living: for hunting, family and ceremonial life, and so on.
https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/
Residential Schools
The Indian residential schools operated in Canada between the 1870s and 1990s, with the goal of assimilating Indigenous people into settler society. These were ran by the Canadian government and various churches. Over 150,000 Indigenous people are estimated to have attended these institutions. Indigenous children were separated from their families, forbidden to speak their traditional languages, and many suffered extreme physical, mental, spiritual, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect, and death.
https://www.anishinabek.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/An-Overview-of-the-IRS-System-Booklet.pdf
Resurgence
Unlike reconciliation, Indigenous resurgence focuses less on reconciliation with settlers, and centres around Indigenous nations determining how Indigenous rights, recognition, and relationships with other peoples will be respected.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320719307803
Three Sisters
Corn, beans and squash: three crops grown in symbiotic relationship in some Indigenous communities. In Haudenosaunee storytelling, the Three Sisters sprouted from the body of Sky Womanâs daughter.
https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/science/story-agricultural-science/scientific-achievements-agriculture/three-sisters-optimizing-value-and-food-potential-ancestral-indigenous-crop-system
Discussion Questions
What is land?
What are some of the different ways that speakers described relating to land and land ownership? Why is the âfamily cottageâ a delicate conversation in Canada?
In what ways do the concepts of Coming Faces and the Three Sisters speak to environmental sustainability?
How does âland dispossessionâ differ from âenvironmental dispossessionâ?
How does history and the ongoing colonization faced by Indigenous people affect the food system?
How could the return of land through the Land Back movement positively impact Indigenous peopleâs access to traditional foods and food practices?
Many of the students in this episode expressed challenges with discussing the ideas of stolen land and the Land Back movement with their families. If you were going to discuss this with your family, what language and ideas would you use?
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Hosted by: Dr. Marylynn Steckley
Produced in collaboration with: Dr. Sonia Wesche, Victoria Marchand & Dr. Josh Steckley
In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we present an episode of the Indigenous Health and Food Systems Podcast called, âWhat are Indigenous Foods?â This podcast is hosted by Dr. Marylynn Steckley from Carleton University and is produced in collaboration with Dr. Sonia Wesche and Victoria Marchand from the University of Ottawa and Dr. Josh Steckley from the University of Toronto, Scarborough. The Indigenous Health and Food Systems Podcast aims to elevate Indigenous scholars' voices in Indigenous health, food sovereignty, and the social determinants of health. This particular episode focuses on what Indigenous foods are, and how there are many complex answers to that question because of the impacts of colonization.
Contributors
Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Amanda Di Battista
Producer: Charlie Spring
Sound Design & Editing: Laine Young & Narayan Subramoniam
Guests
Dr. Kahente Horn-Miller
Dr. Hannah Tait Neufeld
Ida Harkness
Emily Charman
Chanel Best
Brette Thomson
Havailah Arnold
Support & Funding
Funding for the Indigenous Health & Food Systems Podcast episode was provided to M. Steckley and S. Wesche by a Shared Online Projects Initiative grant through a partnership between the University of Ottawa and Carleton University.
Dr. Josh Steckley was supported by the Sustainable Food and Farming Futures Cluster at the University of Toronto, Scarborough
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International Affairs
CIGI
Music Credits
Keenan Reimer-Watts
Keith Whiteduck
Resources
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose Land
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Indigenous Food Systems and Food Sovereignty PodcastTelling Our Twisted Stories Podcast- BANNOCK
ltamirano-JimĂ©nez, I., and N. Kermoal. (2016). Introduction: Indigenous Women and Knowledge. In Living on the Land: Indigenous Womenâs Understandings of Place, Kermoal & Altamirano-JimĂ©nez (eds.) p. 3-18. AU Press: Edmonton, Alberta.
Unreserved with Falen Johnson (2020). How Indigenous Leaders Are Changing the Future of Food
Tennant, Zoe Heaps (2020). Does Bannock Have a Place in Indigenous Cuisine?
CBC News (2015) Feast Cafe Bistro takes eating local to the next level.
Connect with Us:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter/X: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked Podcast
Glossary of Terms
Bannock
âBannock has meant many things to many Indigenous people throughout history, from pre-contact to the fur trade to present times. Before contact, Indigenous people made their own types of bannock and breads using camas bulbs, lichen, moss, cattails, roasted acorns and other plants and roots that were Indigenous to their traditional territories. After contact, Indigenous people began to use wheat and oat flour brought over by the Scottish during the fur trade. Flour was a non-Indigenous food but soon became the staple ingredient in bannock, and in the lives of Indigenous people.âhttps://martlet.ca/bannock-consuming-colonialism/
Colonialism
âColonialism has been defined as systems and practices that âseek to impose the will of one people on another and to use the resources of the imposed people for the benefit of the imposerâ (Assante, 2006). Colonialism can operate within political, sociological, cultural values and systems of a place even after occupation by colonizers has ended. Colonization is defined as the act of political, physical and intellectual occupation of space by the (often forceful) displacement of Indigenous populations, and gives rise to settler-colonialism, colonial and neo-colonial relations, and coloniality.âhttps://www.yorku.ca/edu/unleading/systems-of-oppression/coloniality-and-settler-colonialism/
Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt
A symbol and reminder of covenants between the 5 Nations of the Haudenosaunee and the Dutch Government that guided later treaty-building and envisaged a relationship of reciprocity and sharing (that all people sharing a territory should leave enough for others), a promise that many Indigenous people feel was broken many times.
https://futurecitiescanada.ca/portal/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/02/fcc-civic-indigenous-tool3-teaching-twodishonespoon.pdf
Foodways
A term to describe peoplesâ cultural, social and economic food practices, habits and desires (Alkon et al.)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0016718513000936
Kanyen'kehĂ :ka
Mohawk language.
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mohawk
Sky Woman
The story of how Sky Woman fell from Skyworld to start life on Turtle Island, passed down and told by different Iroquoian-speaking people to describe the creation of human life on earth but also telling aspects of the Original Instructions guiding relations between humans and the natural world (Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass).
https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/
Discussion Questions
1. In what ways might Indigenous people have a complicated relationship with bannock? Is âauthenticityâ a useful term for thinking about food heritage and tradition?
2. What does Kahente Horn-Miller mean by âfood is relationalâ?
3. What visuals or emotions come up for you when hearing the story of âSky Womanâ? How does this story compare to other human origin stories- what are the implications for the way we think about food and food systems?
4. How do we make sense of, respect, and value traditional Indigenous diets and contemporary foodways today? How do we bring together understanding, and respect, and desire to keep alive traditions and ancestral foods in the contemporary post-colonial world?5. How does the term âfoodwaysâ differ from âfood systemsâ in communicating peoplesâ relationship with food?
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In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, your hosts speak with Dr. Alison Blay-Palmer about the UNESCO Chair on Food, Biodiversity, and Sustainability. Dr. Blay-Palmer tells us about the priorities of the Chair (sustainable food production, Indigenous and traditional foodways, & transitions to just food systems) and some of the projects supported through the network. We also speak with some attendees of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversityâs COP15 meetings in December 2022 about agroecology, biodiversity, and their hopes for the future with the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
Contributors
Co-Producers & Hosts: Amanda Di Battista & Laine Young
Producer: Charlie Spring
Sound Design & Editing: Laine Young & Narayan SubramoniamGuest
Dr. Alison Blay-Palmer
Lauren Baker
Mariann Bassey-Orovwuje
Marie-Christine Cormier-Salem
Tammi Jonas
Sabrina MasinjilaSupport & Funding
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International Affairs
CIGIMusic Credits
Keenan Reimer-Watts
Resources
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose Land
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
UNESCO Chair on Food, Biodiversity & Sustainability Studies
UNESCO Chairs Programme
Convention on Biodiversity (CBD)
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)
Handpicked Season 1, Episode 1 - âBecause Everybody Eatsâ: Exploring Sustainable Food Systems for a Better World, feat. Dr. Alison Blay-Palmer
Handpicked Season 1, Episode 5 - âChange Worth Striving Forâ: International Agreements as Levers for Food Systems Change, feat. Dr. Alison Blay-PalmerConnect with Us:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked PodcastGlossary of Terms
Agroecology
âAgroecology is a holistic and integrated approach that simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agriculture and food systems. It seeks to optimize the interactions between plants, animals, humans and the environment while also addressing the need for socially equitable food systems within which people can exercise choice over what they eat and how and where it is produced.âhttps://www.fao.org/agroecology/overview/en/
Agroforestry
âAgroforestry is a collective name for land-use systems and technologies where woody perennials (trees, shrubs, palms, bamboos, etc.) are deliberately used on the same land-management units as agricultural crops and/or animals, in some form of spatial arrangement or temporal sequence. In agroforestry systems there are both ecological and economical interactions between the different components. Agroforestry can also be defined as a dynamic, ecologically based, natural resource management system that, through the integration of trees on farms and in the agricultural landscape, diversifies and sustains production for increased social, economic and environmental benefits for land users at all levels.â
https://www.fao.org/forestry/agroforestry/80338/en/
Biodiversity
âBiological diversity â or biodiversity â is the variety of life on Earth, in all its forms, from genes and bacteria to entire ecosystems such as forests or coral reefs. The biodiversity we see today is the result of 4.5 billion years of evolution, increasingly influenced by humans. Biodiversity forms the web of life that we depend on for so many things â food, water, medicine, a stable climate, economic growth, among others.â
https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/biodiversity
Conference of Parties (COP)
âThe Conference of the Parties is the governing body of the Convention (on Biological Diversity), and advances implementation of the Convention through the decisions it takes at its periodic meetings.â
https://www.cbd.int/cop/
Food sovereigntyâŻ
"Food Sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems."âŻ
https://viacampesina.org/en/âŻ
Industrial Food System
Large scale, intensive agriculture or animal production systems that rely on chemical fertilizers, and practices that lack diversity, such as monocropping and genetic modification. These systems are built to maximize production and profit, often at the expense of biodiversity and the health and wellbeing of animals.
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity FrameworkâŻ
âThe Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was adopted during the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) following a four year consultation and negotiation process. This historic Framework, which supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and builds on the Conventionâs previous Strategic Plans, sets out an ambitious pathway to reach the global vision of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050.â
https://www.cbd.int/gbf/
Monocropping
"Monocropping is planting and growing one type of plant in the same place, year after year. Itâs the type of planting that occurs under a type of agriculture called monoculture... Monoculture is an agricultural system that involves the planting of a single crop, over and over.âhttps://foodrevolution.org/blog/monocropping-monoculture/#:~:text=According%20to%20a%202019%20report,but%20pollinator%20diversity%20as%20well.
Sustainable Food System
Food systems that are âsocially just, support local economies; are ecologically regenerative, and foster citizen engagement.âhttps://fledgeresearch.ca/
UNESCO Chairs Programme
âA UNESCO Chair is a team led by a higher education or research institution that partners with UNESCO on a project to advance knowledge and practice in an area of common priority. The partnership is formalized through an agreement between the Director-General of UNESCO and the head of the institution hosting the UNESCO Chair (Rector, President, Vice-Chancellor). Established within a teaching or research unit/department/faculty of the higher education or research institution, the UNESCO Chair is led by an academic head referred to as the Chairholder. The Chairholder is supported by a team of faculty members, lecturers, researchers and students from the host institutions and personnel from other partner organizations (e.g. other institutions, NGOs, public and private sector, authorities) in the host country and in other countries who are associated with the activities of the Chair.â
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/what-you-need-know-about-unesco-chairs-and-unitwin-networks
United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
âThe Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is the international legal instrument for âthe conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resourcesâ that has been ratified by 196 nations. Its overall objective is to encourage actions, which will lead to a sustainable future.â
https://www.un.org/en/observances/biological-diversity-day/convention#:~:text=The%20Convention%20on%20Biological%20Diversity,been%20ratified%20by%20196%20nations.
Discussion Questions
What are some connections between food systems, sustainability and biodiversity?
In what ways might biodiversity help address challenges related to climate change?
How does agroecology help to address the 3 pillars of the UNESCO Chair (sustainable food production, traditional and Indigenous food systems, and transitions to just food systems)?
What is the role and purpose of networks like the UNESCO chair?
Why is it important to include both western science and traditional knowledge within these networks?
Why was it so important for smallholder farmers/peasants, Indigenous people, youth, and women to be involved in the development of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)?
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In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, we talked to Jamie-Lynne Varney, a master's student in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University (SFU) who prepared the recent report, âRight to Food Framework for Tackling Food Waste and Achieving a Just Circular Economy of Food in Vancouver, B.C.â This report was a collaboration between the Food Systems Lab at SFU and the Vancouver Economic Commission. The process brought together community experts from across the food system to uncover ways to make these food systems more sustainable by reframing food waste using a Right to Food approach. Using âTheory of Changeâ methodology, Jamie-Lynne and her colleagues identified existing challenges and opportunities in the food system and suggested possible interventions for creating pathways to a more just and circular food system in Vancouver.
Contributors
Co-Producers & Hosts: Amanda Di Battista & Laine Young
Sound Design & Editing: Adedotun BabajideGuest
Jamie-Lynne VarneySupport & Funding
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International Affairs
CIGIMusic Credits
Keenan Reimer-Watts
Adedotun BabajideResources
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose Land
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Right to Food Framework for Tackling Food Waste and Achieving a Just Circular Economy of Food in Vancouver, B.C. Report and Video
Food Systems Lab at SFUConnect with Us:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked PodcastGlossary of Terms
Circular Economy
âIn a circular economy, nothing is wasted. The circular economy retains and recovers as much value as possible from resources by reusing, repairing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, repurposing, or recycling products and materials. Itâs about using valuable resources wisely, thinking about waste as a resource instead of a cost, and finding innovative ways to better the environment and the economy.â
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/conservation/sustainability/circular-economy.html
Food Insecurity
Inadequate access to nutritional, safe and culturally appropriate food due to financial or other constraints.
https://proof.utoronto.ca/food-insecurity/#foodinsecurity
Food Loss
âFood that gets spilled, spoilt or otherwise lost, or incurs reduction of quality and value during its process in the food supply chain before it reaches its final product stage. Food loss typically takes place at production, post-harvest, processing, and distribution stages in the food supply chain.â
https://www.unep.org/thinkeatsave/about/definition-food-loss-and-waste
Food Surplus
âFood surplus occurs when the supply, availability and nutritional requirements of food exceeds the demand for it, and can take place at every stage of the supply chain from farms to households. Food surplus leads to either edible food and other products left unsold at supermarkets or restaurants, or piling up in farms and storages, ultimately resulting in food waste and loss.
Food surplus is not necessarily food waste, but rather a proxy for it. It can be defined as the step before food waste, where producers and consumers consciously and actively discard food.â
https://earth.org/what-is-food-surplus/
Food Waste
âFood that completes the food supply chain up to a final product, of good quality and fit for consumption, but still doesn't get consumed because it is discarded, whether or not after it is left to spoil or expire. Food waste typically (but not exclusively) takes place at retail and consumption stages in the food supply chain.â
https://www.unep.org/thinkeatsave/about/definition-food-loss-and-waste
Regenerative Foodscapes
6 principles: â1) Acknowledging and including diverse forms of knowing and being 2) Taking care of people, animals, and the planet 3) Moving beyond capitalist approaches 4) Commoning the food system 5) Promoting accountable innovations 6) Long-term planning and ruralâurban relationsâ
https://foodsystems.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Duncanetal.2020HandbookforSustainableandRegenerativeFoodSystems-1.pdf
Right to Food Framework
âThe right to food is the right to have unrestricted access to sufficient quantities of food that fulfil physical, spiritual, and cultural needs, produced in ways that support the rights and labour of workers, and obtained in ways that promote dignity, reduce stress, and support social and psychological wellbeing.â
https://www.vancouvereconomic.com/research/a-right-to-food-framework-for-a-just-circular-economy-of-food/
Supply Chain
A food supply chain is the path that food takes from production to consumption and eventually waste.
Theory of Change
Theory of Change is essentially a comprehensive description and illustration of how and why a desired change is expected to happen in a particular context. It is focused in particular on mapping out or âfilling inâ what has been described as the âmissing middleâ between what a program or change initiative does (its activities or interventions) and how these lead to desired goals being achieved.
https://www.theoryofchange.org/what-is-theory-of-change/
Discussion Questions
What are the differences between food waste and food surplus? Why is the difference in language important for food charity that relies on surplus food? How might the use of those terms impact the people accessing food charities? What are some differences you notice between a charity model of food access and a Right to Food framework? How might a Right to Food framework impact current charity models that imagine the redistribution of food waste as a key solution to food insecurity? After hearing about the work done in Vancouver, what changes do you think could be made in your own city regarding food waste and equity? What are some ways you think that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted food access and equity? Choose a processed food that typically follows a linear food supply chain (e.g., beer) and consider what might need to change for this product to be part of a more circular economy and to reduce food loss. -
In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, Mandy Bayha, Director for Culture, Language, and Spirituality for the DĂ©lÄŻnÄ Got'ÄŻnÄ Government, talks with Dr. Andrew Spring about the importance of traditional knowledge and language for community wellbeing and resilience DĂ©lÄŻnÄ, NWT. Beginning with a conversation about community resilience in the face of major crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic Mandy traces connections between colonialism, traditional economies, and food security and explains how Elder knowledge and youth engagement inform all the work taking place in the community.
Contributors
Guests: Mandy Bayha & Andrew Spring
Co-Producers & Hosts: Amanda Di Battista & Laine Young
Sound Design & Editing: Adedotun BabajideSupport & Funding
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Voicing Change: Co-creating Knowledge and Capacity for Sustainable Food Systems (SSHRC Funded)
Balsillie School for International Affairs
CIGIMusic Credits
Keenan Reimer-WattsSounds
Neala McLeodResources
DĂ©lÄŻnÄ GotâÄŻnÄ Government
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose LandConnect with Us:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked PodcastDiscussion Questions:
How has the community of DĂ©lÄŻnÄ respond to the pandemic? How is connection to the land fundamental to the way that the SahtĂșotâÄŻnÄ deal with crises?
In this episode, Mandy says that the SahtĂșot'ÄŻnÄ people must âwalk in the footsteps of our grandfathers and our ancestors who've come before us, who have been here for hundreds of thousands of years, since time immemorial.â What does this mean to Mandy? How do the SahtĂșotâÄŻnÄ see their Elders and ancestors?
How is the community of DĂ©lÄŻnÄ engaging with the youth? Why? What is the DĂ©lÄŻnÄ Youth Council and why is it important?
What is a traditional economy? Why is a thriving traditional economy important to the livelihoods of the SahtĂșotâÄŻnÄ?
DeÌlı̚neÌš is part of a comprehensive land claim, is a self-governed community, and has been recognized by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve. How to these governance structures impact the communityâs vision for resilience and self-determination?Glossary:
Climate Change Adaptation
âClimate change adaptation refers to actions that reduce the negative impact of climate change, while taking advantage of potential new opportunities. It involves adjusting policies and actions because of observed or expected changes in climate. Adaptation can be reactive, occurring in response to climate impacts, or anticipatory, occurring before impacts of climate change are observed. In most circumstances, anticipatory adaptations will result in lower long-term costs and be more effective than reactive adaptations.âhttps://www.nrcan.gc.ca/environment/resources/publications/impacts-adaptation/reports/municipalities/10081
Elders
âElders are very important members of First Nation, MĂ©tis, and Inuit communities. The term Elder refers to someone who has attained a high degree of understanding of First Nation, MĂ©tis, or Inuit history, traditional teachings, ceremonies, and healing practices. Elders have earned the right to pass this knowledge on to others and to give advice and guidance on personal issues, as well as on issues affecting their communities and nations. First Nation, MĂ©tis, and Inuit peoples value their Elders and all older people and address them with the utmost respect.âhttps://www.oise.utoronto.ca/deepeningknowledge/Teacher_Resources/Curriculum_Resources_(by_subjects)/Social_Sciences_and_Humanities/Elders.html
Food Security
Food security is the ability to access safe, nutritious, culturally appropriate, and sufficient food all year round. A person or community is food insecure when people cannot afford or have limited or no access to the food they need to nourish their bodies. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization state that âfood insecurity can affect diet quality in different ways, potentially leading to undernutrition as well as. . . obesity.âhttp://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/2020/en/
Food Sovereignty
âFood sovereignty is the peoplesâ, Countriesâ or State Unionsâ RIGHT to define their agricultural and food policy.âhttps://viacampesina.org/en/food-sovereignty/
Indigenous Food Systems
âWithin the context of the work described here, we maintain that Indigenous People are those who retain knowledge of the land and food resources rooted in historical continuity within their region of residence. The local food systems that they are currently using are those we define as âtraditional food systemsâ, which invariably include some foods that may be used by many outside of the indigenous culture (e.g. salmon). In essence, we describe as âtraditional foodsâ those foods that Indigenous Peoples have access to locally, without having to purchase them, and within traditional knowledge and the natural environment from farming or wild harvesting.âhttp://www.fao.org/3/i0370e/i0370e01.pdf
Informal Economy of Food
Economies of food that emphasize âpersonal relationships, trust, and non-market values, which are inherently challenging to define and often impossible to quantify.â Informal economies of food are âspaces for non-traditional forms of innovation as well as opportunities for deep insights into social relationships, cultural meanings, and environmental values...and challenge us to think of economic systems in far more complex ways than mainstream economic theory would propose.âhttp://nourishingontario.ca/the-social-economy-of-food/
Land Claim
âIn 1973, the federal government recognized two broad classes of claims â comprehensive and specific. Comprehensive Claims: Comprehensive claims are based on the assessment that there may be continuing Aboriginal rights to lands and natural resources. These kinds of claims come up in those parts of Canada where Aboriginal title has not previously been dealt with by treaty and other legal means. While each claim is unique, frequently these claims include such things as land title, fishing, trapping, and resource rights and financial compensation â hence the "comprehensive". Specific Claims: Specific claims declare grievances over Canada's alleged failures to discharge specific obligations to First Nations groups. Land claim agreement: A term used by the federal government to refer to a negotiated settlement with a First Nation on lands, land usage, and other rights.âhttps://www.ictinc.ca/indigenous-peoples-a-guide-to-terminology?hsCtaTracking=78222e95-067f-4dbf-b5ab-dcf30327c183%7Cbecdb1c0-7f37-4a84-98e4-b5fb804e47ef
Land Stewardship
âIn its broadest sense, stewardship is the recognition of our collective responsibility to retain the quality and abundance of our land, air, water and biodiversity, and to manage this natural capital in a way that conserves all of its values, be they environmental, economic, social or cultural.âhttp://www.landstewardship.org/stewardship/
On the Land Camp
âCamps on the land are a strong force for community development, bringing youth and elders together in a non-urban environment where traditional knowledge and skills can be passed on among generations through direct experience.âhttps://www.wcscanada.org/Portals/42/media/file/Camps_Report_WCSCanada.pdf
Reconciliation in Action
âThe Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established in 2008 to document the experiences of residential school Survivors before, during and after their time in residential schools and to lay the foundation for a new relationship based on mutual respect and understanding in Canada.Throughout the TRCâs work, the process of healing and reconciliation evolved. Thousands of Canadians began to understand the depth of harm imposed on Indigenous Peoples and were inspired to take action to right past wrongs. Following the release of the TRCâs 94 Calls to Action, governments, organizations, corporations, churches and countless community groups started taking on new policies, projects and plans with the goal of mending the broken relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, communities and organizations.
While there are many achievements to be celebrated, the hard work of reconciliation and structural reform necessary to transition this country into a respectful and safe place for Indigenous Peoples will take years. This presents a deep challenge for this nation â while the big work of changing the nature of our relationship at a structural level continues to evolve, the many forms of crisis experienced within Indigenous communities continues to rage. Children continue to be disproportionately represented in the child welfare system, suicide remains at epidemic levels in certain communities and Indigenous Peoples continue to experience a lesser quality of life than non-Indigenous people.
Given the long history of broken promises and false hope, it remains difficult for many Indigenous communities to trust that meaningful change will occur. Sadly, the past history of Canada is littered with many aspirational ideas but little transformative change. Reconciliation remains a massively complex exercise for this nation â one with great depths that many are only beginning to understand. Significant reform in the areas of law, legislation and justice must all occur. Likewise, deeply held racist conceptions of Indigenous Peoples must also be eliminated from society. All Canadians have been called upon to embrace this work, and each is asked to contribute to the overall work of reconciliation.â
https://indigenouspeoplesatlasofcanada.ca/article/the-road-to-reconciliation/
Self-Determination / Self-Government
âThe promise of self-government and the spirit behind that movement was that we were going to be self-determining, that it was going to give us our right to make decisions about our own future back to us where it belonged, where it should have never been taken to begin with. And so, the idea behind self-governance as it relates to education is that we're going to teach our own children what's important to us, what the value, what our values are. And it's really important that, you know, we are teaching our children their way of life, who they are, their identity.âMandy Bayha, discussing DĂ©lÄŻnÄ GotâÄŻnÄ Government in âWe walk in the footsteps of our ancestorsâ: Traditional knowledge, youth engagement, and resilience in DĂ©lÄŻnÄ
Sustainable Food System
Food systems that are âsocially just, support local economies; are ecologically regenerative, and foster citizen engagement.âhttps://fledgeresearch.ca/
Traditional Food
Traditional food, also called country food, describes traditional Indigenous food, including game meats, migratory birds, fish and foraged foods. In addition to providing nourishment, traditional food is an integral part of Indigenous identity and culture and contributes to self-sustainable communities. Environmental and socioeconomic changes have threatened food security, making traditional food more expensive and difficult to harvest. Despite these challenges, Indigenous communities, in partnership with various levels of government and non-profit organizations, continue to work towards improving access to traditional food.https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/country-food-inuit-food-in-canada
Traditional Knowledge
âAlthough there is no universally accepted definition of âtraditional knowledge,â the term is commonly understood to refer to collective knowledge of traditions used by Indigenous groups to sustain and adapt themselves to their environment over time. . . . Traditional Knowledge is usually shared among Elders, healers, or hunters and gatherers, and is passed on to the next generation through ceremonies, stories or teachings.âhttps://www.afn.ca/uploads/fi
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In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, guest producer Harrison Runtz talks with food systems experts Kelly Bronson, Irena Knezevic, and Carly Livingstone about how new digital technologies are changing the ways we grow and get food. They look at how big agri-businesses like John Deere create visions of a technological future of food, examine what Amazonâs entry into online food retailing has meant for small-scale and local food retailers, and argue for a more critical understanding about the impact of technological innovations on food systems. Together, they ask vital questions about who benefits and who doesnât from new food technologies.
Contributors
Guest-Producer & Host: Harrison Runtz
Co-Producers & Hosts: Amanda Di Battista & Laine Young
Sound Design, Research & Editing: Adedotun BabajideGuests
Kelly Bronson
Carly Livingstone
Irena KnezevicSupport & Funding
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Carleton Food and Media Hub
Balsillie School for International Affairs
CIGIMusic Credits
Keenan Reimer-WattsResources
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose Land
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Farm Forward with John Deere
Farm Hack
AgBox
Look twice at the digital agricultural revolution (Bronson and Knezevic)
From Online Cart to Plate: What Amazon's Retail Domination Means for the Future of Food (Livingstone and Knezevic)
Looking through a responsible innovation lens at uneven engagements with digital farming (Bronson)See also the resources linked to the S1E6 episode of Handpicked, "We are all shepherds of the data": Food, tech and data sovereignty
Connect with Us:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked PodcastGlossary of Terms
Big Data
Large quantities of data gathered by digital platforms, such as Amazon or Facebook, and other technologies, such as remote sensing, etc. Big data can be sorted and analyzed in different ways to uncover important insights for decision making. For instance, big data can be used to understand consumer purchasing practices to inform marketing spending and business practices to increase profit margins.Data Mining
Extracting patterns and key insights from big data sets, often using statistics and machine-learning technologies.Data SovereigntyâŻ
The right of people to have access to and power over the data and information associated with their lives, work, or communities.âŻâŻDigitization
The increasing use of digital technologies across sectors to make decisions and enable practices. Digital technologies include (but are not limited to), local and remote sensing technologies, digital platforms, big data, cloud-based solutions, etc.Farming 4.0
Also referred to as digital farming, smart farming, or precision agriculture, this type of farming makes use of sensing technology and sophisticated computing technologies to make decisions about all aspects of the farm including crop choice, inputs, irrigation, and harvesting.Food Policy
Food policies are developed by governments at different scales to guide food-related decisions and actions. They inform and govern public, private, and non-profit sector actions related to improving food-related outcomes and can create opportunities for stakeholders to work together across sectors.Food Security
Food security is the ability to access safe, nutritious, culturally appropriate, and sufficient food all year round. A person or community is food insecure when people cannot afford or have limited or no access to the food they need to nourish their bodies. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization state that âfood insecurity can affect diet quality in different ways, potentially leading to undernutrition as well as. . . obesity.â http://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/2020/en/Food SovereigntyâŻ
"Food Sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems."âŻ
https://viacampesina.org/en/âŻOpen Source DataâŻâŻ
A legal protection that ensures that data that is owned and available for use to everyone in a particular community. In the case of Open Food Network, all users have access to all code associated with the platform but must make any alterations or new code available to all other users.âŻâŻPlatformâŻ
Digital infrastructure or frameworks for different kinds of exchange. For example, Open Food Network is a platform that enables digital food hubs, shops, or farmers markets.âŻProducerâŻ
A food enterprise which makes, grows, bakes, cooks, or produces food which it can supply to other businesses for sale.⯠https://guide.openfoodnetwork.org/glossary-of-ofn-termsâŻRobotics
The use of machines to perform tasks previously completed by waged workers. In agriculture, robotics include picking and milking machines, tractors and other farming machines, and packing machines, among other technologies.Supply Chain
All of the components of a systemâincluding organizations, producers, suppliers, people, resources, activities, information, and infrastructuresâthat get a product to a consumer.Sustainable Food System
Food systems that are âsocially just, support local economies; are ecologically regenerative, and foster citizen engagement.â https://fledgeresearch.ca/Discussion Questions
How are digital technologies changing food and farming
How are privacy concerns around food and farming data similar to, or different from, more general digital privacy worries (e.g., social media, geo-tracking, etc.)?
Why is concentrated power in digital food and farming an issue of social justice?
What are some approaches that can ensure digital technologies equitably serve farmers and others who work in food? -
In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, Laine Young speaks with Alexandra Rodriguez about Agricultura Urbana Participativa AGRUPAR, an urban agriculture project that aims to address food insecurity and improve peopleâs lives by creating more a sustainable food system in Quito, Ecuador. Using an intersectional lens, Laine and Alexandraâs conversation looks at the positive community-wide impacts of women's involvement in participatory urban agriculture projects and considers how womenâs lived experience is governed by race, class, gender, sexuality, ability and other factors. Alexandra shares her experience working on the project as well as examples of how AGRUPAR is finding local solutions to the unique challenges facing Quitoâs food system.
Contributors:
Co-Producers & Hosts: Laine Young & Amanda Di Battista
Sound Design & Editing: Laine Young & Amanda Di Battista
Research Assistant: Adedotun BabajideGuests
Alexandra Rodriguez
Erick FaySupport & Funding
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International Affairs
CIGIMusic Credits
Keenan Reimer-WattsResources
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose Land
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
FAO City Region Food System Program: Quito, Ecuador
RUAF Global Partnership
Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
Intersectionality Matters Podcast
Growing Food in the City: Urban Agriculture in Quito, Ecuador, Through a Feminist Lens, paper by Laine YoungConnect with Us:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked PodcastGlossary of Terms
City Region Food System
âA City Region Food Systems (CRFS) approach aims to foster the development of resilient and sustainable food systems within urban centres, peri-urban and rural areas surrounding cities by strengthening rural-urban linkages.â
http://www.fao.org/in-action/food-for-cities-programme/approach-old/crfs/en/
Food Policy
Food policies are developed by governments at different scales to guide food-related decisions and actions. They inform and govern public, private, and non-profit sector actions related to improving food-related outcomes and can create opportunities for stakeholders to work together across sectors.Food Security
Food security is the ability to access safe, nutritious, culturally appropriate, and sufficient food all year round. A person or community is food insecure when people cannot afford or have limited or no access to the food they need to nourish their bodies. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization state that âfood insecurity can affect diet quality in different ways, potentially leading to undernutrition as well as. . . obesity.âhttp://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/2020/en/
Food SovereigntyâŻ
"Food Sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems."âŻhttps://viacampesina.org/en/âŻ
Food Waste
Waste that is created through food production or food that is wasted because it is not eaten. Unnecessary food waste can be generated at all points along the food chain, including during production and distribution or at the household level.
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/managing-reducing-waste/food-loss-waste.htmlInformal Economy of FoodâŻâŻ
Economies of food that emphasize âpersonal relationships, trust, and non-market values, which are inherently challenging to define and often impossible to quantify.â Informal economies of food are âspaces for non-traditional forms of innovation as well as opportunities for deep insights into social relationships, cultural meanings, and environmental values . . . and challenge us to think of economic systems in far more complex ways than mainstream economic theory would propose.ââŻâŻhttp://nourishingontario.ca/the-social-economy-of-food/âŻâŻ
Intersectionality
Intersectionality considers how different power relations, such as race, gender, sexuality, and class, among other things, impact an individualâs lived experience. The Merrium-Webster dictionary defines intersectionality as, âthe complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups.â KimberlĂ© W. Crenshaw, an American legal scholar and civil rights activist, coined the term in 1989 to describe Black womenâs experience of the intersection of sexism and racism.https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=uclf
Supply Chain
All of the components of a systemâincluding organizations, producers, suppliers, people, resources, activities, information, and infrastructuresâthat get a product to a consumer.Sustainable Food System
Food systems that are âsocially just, support local economies; are ecologically regenerative, and foster citizen engagement.âhttps://fledgeresearch.ca/
Sustainable Healthy Diets
âSustainable Healthy Diets are dietary patterns that promote all dimensions of individualsâ health and wellbeing; have low environmental pressure and impact; are accessible, affordable, safe and equitable; and are culturally acceptable.âhttp://www.fao.org/3/ca6640en/ca6640en.pdf
Territorial Food Strategy/Policy
A set of formally agreed upon policies or strategies that guide programs and development related to food in a city region food system. In Quito, the development of a Territorial Food Strategy and Policy has been informed by a multi-stakeholder consultation process that brought together representatives from government, international and civil society organizations, research institutions, and the private sector to find a common vision, goals, and outcomes for the strategy and to identify key food system indicators, activities, and timelines.http://www.fao.org/in-action/food-for-cities-programme/pilotcities/quito/en/
Urban
A town or city and surrounding areas where more than 1000 people live and population density is more than 400 people per square kilometre. The urban is often described in contrast to the rural and includes highly developed landscape and infrastructure, like public transit.https://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/subjects/standard/pcrac/2016/introduction
Urban Agriculture
Agriculture that takes place in cities, towns, or other urban areas. Urban agriculture can include community gardens, balcony or backyard gardens, raising chickens or other livestock, urban food gathering, etc.
Discussion Questions
Why is food insecurity such a concern in Quito? What factors contribute to the risk of food insecurity among the citizens of Quito and how are these similar/different from the risks to food insecurity where you live?
What is urban agriculture and how can it contribute to sustainable food system change?
How are AGRUPARâs urban agriculture projects changing the lives of women in Quito? Why do you think small scale urban agriculture is having such a big impact?
What is intersectionality? Why is an intersectional analysis critical to understanding the lived experiences of food system actors, especially women and Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC)? -
Technology is changing all aspects of the food system, including how smaller-scale farmers and food producers connect with different markets. In this episode of Handpicked, Dr. Theresa Schumilas describes her work as the Director of Open Food Network Canada, an open source software platform designed to help producers and eaters build better and more sustainable food systems. Youâll hear about how justice and fairness can inform an activist approach to coding and how non-proprietary software is contributing to food sovereignty in Canada and beyond. Using Open Food Network as an example, Dr. Shumilas explains how software platforms are helping smaller scale producers reimagine their operations by centring community, open source legal protections, and peer-to-peer learning.
Contributors
Co-Producers & Hosts: Amanda DiBattista & Laine Young
Sound Design & Editing: Adedotun Babajide & Laine Young Research Assistants: Chiamaka Okafor-Justin & Jake BernsteinGuests
Theresa SchumilasSupport & Funding
Wilfrid Laurier University
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International Affairs
CIGIMusic Credits
Keenan Reimer-WattsResources
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Whose Land
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Open Food Network Canada
The Open Food Network Global ProjectâŻ
Open Food Network Global Discussion CommunityâŻ
Building Back Better: Infrastructure investments for a greener, more resilient and sustainable countryRacial Justice and Food Systems Resources
Justice in June
Black Women on Black Food Sovereignty Panel, presented by FoodShare Toronto
âWhen youâre Black, youâre at greater risk of everything that sucksâ: FoodShareâs Paul Taylor on the links between race and food insecurity
Seed Change Words From Our Chair: We cannot talk about food without talking about racism
Black Food Insecurity in Canada, Melana RobertsConnect with Us:
Email: [email protected]a
Twitter: @Handpickedpodc
Facebook: Handpicked PodcastGlossary of Terms
Commons
Cultural and natural resources that belong to everyone and that are not privately owned. The Commons can include resources that are in physical and/or digital space, are non-proprietary, and are cared for by a community. The Commons is an important concept in many disciplines, including political ecology, economics, philosophy, law, and the humanities, among others. The Commons can be legally protected, as in, for example, Creative Commons or Open Source licensingCommunity Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Community supported agriculture (CSA) is a food sharing model in which people buy a share of a farm and then pick up their dividend as a harvest share every week. Consumers make a commitment to take their share, which could be anything from a particular farmer/producer, and to share the risk of the harvest with that farmer.Data Sovereignty
The right of people to have access to and power over the data and information associated with their lives, work, or communities.Food sovereigntyâŻ
"Food Sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems."âŻhttps://viacampesina.org/en/âŻ
Global Food Commons
Natural, cultural, and digital resources shared with a global community of food actors. For example, Open Food Network includes a global community of coders creating and sharing code and educational experiences to better their platform.Informal Economy of FoodâŻâŻ
Economies of food that emphasize âpersonal relationships, trust, and non-market values, which are inherently challenging to define and often impossible to quantify.â Informal economies of food are âspaces for non-traditional forms of innovation as well as opportunities for deep insights into social relationships, cultural meanings, and environmental values . . . and challenge us to think of economic systems in far more complex ways than mainstream economic theory would propose.ââŻâŻhttp://nourishingontario.ca/the-social-economy-of-food/âŻâŻ
Open Source
A non-proprietaryâŻlegal protection that ensures ownership in the commons. Data, information, code, genetic code, etc. may be deemed Open Source.Open Source Data
A legal protection that ensures that data that is owned and available for use to everyone in a particular community. In the case of Open Food Network, all users have access to all code associated with the platform but must make any alterations or new code available to all other users.Peer-to-Peer Learning
Informal learning among members of a community, often based on the concepts of sharing and justice. Peer-to-peer learning may take place through forums, mentorship, or other means.Platform
Digital infrastructure or framework for different kinds of exchange. For example, Open Food Network is a platform that enables digital food hubs, shops, or farmers markets.Producer
A food enterprise which makes, grows, bakes, cooks, or produces food which it can supply to other businesses for sale.https://guide.openfoodnetwork.org/glossary-of-ofn-terms
Production Management
The management of goods, knowledge, technology, employees, money, etc. associated with being a producer.Sharing Economy
âAn umbrella term that describes a wide range of economic activities that have been made possible by technology. Two well-known digital platforms have captured markets in transportation (Uber) and short-term accommodations (Airbnb), but sharing economy businesses are emerging in nearly every sector of the economy. . . . The common element is that they enable individuals to âshareâ their personal assets or skills. This sharing involves renting personal assets or providing services for a fee through an online application.âhttps://www.ontario.ca/page/sharing-economy-framework
Supply Chain
All of the components of a systemâincluding organizations, producers, suppliers, people, resources, activities, information, and infrastructuresâthat get a product to a consumer.Sustainable Food System
Food systems that are âsocially just, support local economies; are ecologically regenerative, and foster citizen engagement.âhttps://fledgeresearch.ca/
Discussion Questions
What is open source data and why is it important to food sovereignty? How is Open Food Network changing the ways that smaller-scale producers do their business? How is it changing the ways that eaters/consumers interact with those farmers? Justice and fairness are central to Open Food Networkâs operations. How are justice, fairness, and activism important to technological and data sovereignty? How is activism taking place at Open Food Network? How and why are open source data and code being protected at Open Food Network? What are the parallels between open source data/code and seed saving movements? Community is an important concept for technological and food sovereigntyâname three ways that community is discussed in this episode and explain why community is so important in each instance. -
International agreements like the Sustainable Development Goals, the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, and the New Urban Agenda can be imagined as shared blueprints for change. However, agreements negotiated between international actors can be difficult to implement at local and regional scales. In this episode of Handpicked, we talk to food systems actors and researchers working to connect international agreements with municipal and regional policy development. In our conversation with Alison Blay-Palmer, Patricia Ballamingie, Barbara Emmanuel, and Theresa Schumilas we examine how international agreements are important tools for decisionmakers concerned with food, consider how storytelling is an important part of meaningful food advocacy and policy development, and look at how the City of Torontoâs has used the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact to inform policy and program development across the city.
ContributorsCo-Producers & Hosts: Amanda DiBattista & Laine Young
Guests
Sound Design & Editing: Adedotun Babajide & Laine Young
Research Assistants: Chiamaka Okafor-Justin & Jake BernsteinAlison Blay-Palmer
Support & Funding
Patricia Ballamingie
Barbara Emanuel
Theresa SchumilasWilfrid Laurier University
Music Credits
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International Affairs
CIGIKeenan Reimer-Watts
ResourcesLevers for Food system Change Panel Discussion
The Sustainable Development Goals
The New Urban Agenda
The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
Toronto Food Strategy
Toronto Food Strategy 2018 Report
Torontoâs Adaptation of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact Indicator Framework, presented at the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact Mayors Summit, 2018
The Seed Map
Moving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems -
In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, co-producer Dr. Andrew Spring takes us through part 2 of his conversation with Chief Lloyd Chicot and Melaine Simba of the Kaâaâgee Tu First Nation. Focusing on five key themesâyouth, community gardening, community mapping, land stewardship and waste managementâthey explore how participatory action research driven by communities can have tangible and lasting impacts on everyday life and help facilitate the transfer of traditional knowledges to the next generation. They also reflect on how research has helped shape and support climate change adaptation strategies in Kakisa, NWT and the importance of building lasting relationships as part of this work.
ContributorsCo-Producers & Hosts: Amanda Di Battista & Laine Young
Guests
Co-Producer: Andrew Spring
Sound Design & Editing: Dotun Babajide
Research Assistants: Chiamaka Okafor-Justin & Jake BernsteinKaâaâgee Tu First Nation
Support & Funding
Kakisa Photo Blog
Andrew SpringWilfrid Laurier University
Music Credits
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Global Water Futures
Balsillie School for International Affairs
CIGIKeenan Reimer-Watts
SoundsNational Park Service
ResourcesMoving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Food: Locally Embedded, Globally Engaged (FLEdGE)
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action -
In this episode of Handpicked: Stories from the Field, co-producer Dr. Andrew Spring sits down with Chief Lloyd Chicot and Melaine Simba of the Kaâaâgee Tu First Nation from the community of Kakisa in the Northwest Territories. Reflecting on their long partnership of collaboration, they talk about how climate change is impacting food systems in Canadaâs North and how their small community is finding ways to adapt to the changing landscapes. You'll hear about community-driven participatory action research and initiatives ongoing in Kakisa, the unique ways that food security issues impact northern Indigenous communities, the importance of the land, and how the community members are monitoring and adapting to the changes being observed.
ContributorsCo-Producers & Hosts: Amanda DiBattista & Laine Young
Guests
Co-Producer: Andrew Spring
Sound Design & Editing: Dotun Babajide
Research Assistants: Chiamaka Okafor-Justin & Jake BernsteinKaâaâgee Tu First Nation
Support & Funding
Kakisa Photo Blog
Andrew SpringWilfrid Laurier University
Music Credits
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Balsillie School for International Affairs
CIGIKeenan Reimer-Watts
SoundsNational Park Service
ResourcesMoving Beyond Acknowledgments- LSPIRG
Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Food: Locally Embedded, Globally Engaged (FLEdGE) - Show more
