Thursday, June 30, 2005
Exemplary Resources
Organic Food & Farming in Canada
WEB Reference, March, 1997 (Assembled by EAP Staff) - Canada's organic food and farming sector is not as advanced as the USA and several European nations. Following a spurt of interest in the late 1980s, government research and support of this sector has fallen off. The industry has continued to expand, but at modest rates. Few recent studies have documented the current state of the Canadian industry. The number of certified growers is thought to be in the 1500-2000 range. For every 1 certified grower, there may be 10 who are near organic or non-certified organic producers. The Canadian organic food market is estimated at about 1% of the total retail food market. We have assembled or summarized in this section some of the most interesting Canadian reports of the past decade. To see the impressive list of links, click: http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/RM/RM_P.htm.
Organic Food & Farming in Canada
WEB Reference, March, 1997 (Assembled by EAP Staff) - Canada's organic food and farming sector is not as advanced as the USA and several European nations. Following a spurt of interest in the late 1980s, government research and support of this sector has fallen off. The industry has continued to expand, but at modest rates. Few recent studies have documented the current state of the Canadian industry. The number of certified growers is thought to be in the 1500-2000 range. For every 1 certified grower, there may be 10 who are near organic or non-certified organic producers. The Canadian organic food market is estimated at about 1% of the total retail food market. We have assembled or summarized in this section some of the most interesting Canadian reports of the past decade. To see the impressive list of links, click: http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/RM/RM_P.htm.
Education / Interactive
Cooking Fun for Families
VANCOUVER, BC, June 7, 2005 (Vancouver Community Kitchen Project) - Cooking Fun For Families is a food skill-building program that supports families around a variety of issues including food security, life skills, socialization and integration within communities. Based on a community kitchen model, this program complements school breakfast and lunch programs. The goal of the program is to strengthen families and communities and improve nutritional well-being and food security by addressing needs in an integrated school-community context. For more information go to www.communitykitchens.ca/cookingfun.htm.
Cooking Fun for Families
VANCOUVER, BC, June 7, 2005 (Vancouver Community Kitchen Project) - Cooking Fun For Families is a food skill-building program that supports families around a variety of issues including food security, life skills, socialization and integration within communities. Based on a community kitchen model, this program complements school breakfast and lunch programs. The goal of the program is to strengthen families and communities and improve nutritional well-being and food security by addressing needs in an integrated school-community context. For more information go to www.communitykitchens.ca/cookingfun.htm.
Climate Change / Community Nutrition
Food Miles: Local Foods Could Make for Greener Grocers
WEB Reference, Aug. 2, 2003 (Science News Online) - Over the past few years, Pirog has been looking for a way to tell shoppers whether the green groceries they're about to buy are part of the problem or part of, in Pirog's words, "the load less traveled." He's now testing on focus groups prototype point-of-sale labels—he calls them ecolabels—that indicate how much energy it took to transport produce to a buyer.
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20030802/food.asp.
Food Miles: Local Foods Could Make for Greener Grocers
WEB Reference, Aug. 2, 2003 (Science News Online) - Over the past few years, Pirog has been looking for a way to tell shoppers whether the green groceries they're about to buy are part of the problem or part of, in Pirog's words, "the load less traveled." He's now testing on focus groups prototype point-of-sale labels—he calls them ecolabels—that indicate how much energy it took to transport produce to a buyer.
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20030802/food.asp.
Food Security / Financing
Ecology & Construction on the Farm
STE. ANNE de BELLEVUE, QC, June, 25, 2005 (EAP Website) - It is easy to forget that ecology a word derived from the Greek okologie, means the study of homes and refers to the surroundings in which organism live. in an age of long distance transport mass media and uniformly buildings whether they be homes barns or utility sheds have often become disconnected with the local and diverse biological and physical conditions amongst which humans live. The symptoms of industrial agriculture - uniformity and high-energy - creep into the farm system when local building materials are not taken advantage of and when construction methods do not accommodate the forces of sun wind end wafer. The Brace Research Institute, the Environmental Construction Network, and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation are all organizations that can help make farm building projects consistent with an ecological approach to farming. http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/MagRack/SF/Summer%2091%20D.htm.
Ecology & Construction on the Farm
STE. ANNE de BELLEVUE, QC, June, 25, 2005 (EAP Website) - It is easy to forget that ecology a word derived from the Greek okologie, means the study of homes and refers to the surroundings in which organism live. in an age of long distance transport mass media and uniformly buildings whether they be homes barns or utility sheds have often become disconnected with the local and diverse biological and physical conditions amongst which humans live. The symptoms of industrial agriculture - uniformity and high-energy - creep into the farm system when local building materials are not taken advantage of and when construction methods do not accommodate the forces of sun wind end wafer. The Brace Research Institute, the Environmental Construction Network, and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation are all organizations that can help make farm building projects consistent with an ecological approach to farming. http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/MagRack/SF/Summer%2091%20D.htm.
Global Village / Sustainable Economics
Fair Trade Enables Farmers to Invest in a Sustainable Future
BONN, Germany, June 25, 2005 (FLO Website) - The Fairtrade Labeling Organization (FLO) is the worldwide Fairtrade Standard setting and Certification organisation. It permits more than 800,000 producers, workers and their dependants in 50 countries to benefit from labelled Fairtrade. FLO guarantees that products sold anywhere in the world with a Fairtrade label marketed by a National Initiative conforms to Fairtrade Standards and contributes to the development of disadvantaged producers and workers. http://www.fairtrade.net/sites/aboutflo/aboutflo.html.
Fair Trade Enables Farmers to Invest in a Sustainable Future
BONN, Germany, June 25, 2005 (FLO Website) - The Fairtrade Labeling Organization (FLO) is the worldwide Fairtrade Standard setting and Certification organisation. It permits more than 800,000 producers, workers and their dependants in 50 countries to benefit from labelled Fairtrade. FLO guarantees that products sold anywhere in the world with a Fairtrade label marketed by a National Initiative conforms to Fairtrade Standards and contributes to the development of disadvantaged producers and workers. http://www.fairtrade.net/sites/aboutflo/aboutflo.html.
Exemplary Resources / Agriculture
Ecological Agriculture Projects
STE-ANNE-DE-BELLEVUE, QC, CANADA (EAP, McGill University, Macdonald Campus) - To facilitate the establishment of food systems world-wide that are nutritionally sound, socially just, humane, economically viable and environmentally sustainable, EAP has established and maintained one of North America's largest resource centres on sustainable food systems, with over 2000 books, over 100 journals and newsletters, nearly 100,000 articles and an extensive range of audio-visual materials; given thousands of workshops, talks and seminars to tens of thousands of people. They have advised municipal, provincial and the federal governments and made recommendations on how to reform policies and programs to support sustainability, run university and continuing education courses on ecological gardening and farming and household toxics reduction, served Quebec farmers and Agronomes with a unique extension program called Agro-Bio, that synthesizes the most pertinent information on ecological solutions to farming problems and helped consumers improve their own environment with our ECO-INFO phone hotline. Since 1974, they have worked to accomplish that mission by collecting, organizing, and disseminating essential information, while conducting research, and providing expert analysis and advice to farmers, consumers, government, universities, agribusiness, and the media. For what’s new at EAP, see: http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/general/whatsnew.htm. Telephone: (514)-398-7777; Fax: (514)-398-7621; Email: eapinfo@macdonald.mcgill.ca.
Ecological Agriculture Projects
STE-ANNE-DE-BELLEVUE, QC, CANADA (EAP, McGill University, Macdonald Campus) - To facilitate the establishment of food systems world-wide that are nutritionally sound, socially just, humane, economically viable and environmentally sustainable, EAP has established and maintained one of North America's largest resource centres on sustainable food systems, with over 2000 books, over 100 journals and newsletters, nearly 100,000 articles and an extensive range of audio-visual materials; given thousands of workshops, talks and seminars to tens of thousands of people. They have advised municipal, provincial and the federal governments and made recommendations on how to reform policies and programs to support sustainability, run university and continuing education courses on ecological gardening and farming and household toxics reduction, served Quebec farmers and Agronomes with a unique extension program called Agro-Bio, that synthesizes the most pertinent information on ecological solutions to farming problems and helped consumers improve their own environment with our ECO-INFO phone hotline. Since 1974, they have worked to accomplish that mission by collecting, organizing, and disseminating essential information, while conducting research, and providing expert analysis and advice to farmers, consumers, government, universities, agribusiness, and the media. For what’s new at EAP, see: http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/general/whatsnew.htm. Telephone: (514)-398-7777; Fax: (514)-398-7621; Email: eapinfo@macdonald.mcgill.ca.
