I am a Community Food Coordinator in Cape Breton, and I am also a small-scale vegetable farmer at Local Motive Farm. In both of these roles, climate change is on my mind on a daily basis. My work day consists of holding the big picture of the food system in Cape Breton, while juggling many balls as my team and I work towards shifting this … Continue reading Growing food in a Changing Climate
This was written in Unama’ki, also known as Cape Breton, the unceded and traditional lands of the Mik’maq People. We are grateful to the Mi’kmaq for their stewardship of this territory, so that we may all continue to be nourished by the generosity of the plants and animals therein. My Food Sovereignty I am Cree-Métis, raised by my mother and my grandmother on a homestead … Continue reading Indigenous Food: Reclaiming Traditions, Rights, and Future
When people think about where their food comes from, they often think about how it was grown. Did the farmers use pesticides? Was it grown organically? Was it grown from genetically modified (GM) seeds? But, there is more to the story than just how your food was grown. The consumer should be thinking about who was growing it and how they were treated. Many large … Continue reading Know your farmer, know your food.
Gender inequality contributes to different experiences throughout our food system, from production to purchasing. Continue reading When Gender and Food Connect
Food connects to us to different cultural traditions and to the people, lands and waters in different parts of the world. The reverse is also true; travelling can make us miss all the foods of home. But, neither of these are permanent. Travel trips are typically short, and it can be exciting to try a new food or cuisine for one meal. The reality for … Continue reading Food Connections in a New Place
Do you have someone on your gift list that is hard to buy for? Someone socially and environmentally conscious? Someone who wants to support the Nova Scotian economy? Someone in tune with the food insecurity situation in Nova Scotia? How about donating $20 to the Barefoot Farmers Association on their behalf? A gift with real impact that creates an investment in our food security. When … Continue reading Giving Food as Food Futures: a new way to think about food security in Nova Scotia
I had the pleasure of playing The Food Trade Game recently. In a very short time I gained a great understanding of the complex world of Fair Trade coffee and the global coffee trade. What is the game? The game is an experiential learning opportunity where each person embodies a different player in the coffee economy including both the conventional and fair trade systems … Continue reading The Food Trade Game: the nitty gritty of Fair Trade coffee
There is much work to be done to address food insecurity within Canada (and globally). We must dismantle racism, heal the wounds of the colonial food system, and reconnect our food and our health. Food as a human right was first recognized in law in 1948 in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and again in 1967 in the International Covenant on Economic, Social, … Continue reading Resetting the Table: Notes from Food Secure Canada’s 10th Assembly
We’ve all heard about climate change, right? We may not always be able to discern the changes we’re experiencing because of it, but our planet needs help. Last week, the UN’s intergovernmental panel on climate change released a report detailing an urgent need for change – globally. One of its key messages is that we’re already seeing the consequences of 1C global warming with more … Continue reading Sticking Your Fork to Climate Change!
In June of 2018, the New Brunswick Department of Education and Early Childhood Development released a revised version of its school food policy 711 in support of “Healthier School Food Environments”. The policy does not impact food and beverages that students bring from home. Instead, it applies to food served in schools or school-related events and activities (i.e. cafeterias, classrooms, co-curricular, and extra-curricular events, fundraising … Continue reading All We are Saying is Give Fresh a Chance!
