World Social Forum 2016: Let’s talk about food sovereignty in Montreal

Food Secure Canada invites you to join us at the table for the 2016 World Social Forum.

As a pan-Canadian alliance of organizations and individuals working together to advance food security and sovereignty, we invite the public and experts to gather for a grand banquet of ideas at World Social Forum 2016, which will take place August 9th-14th in Montreal.

We all have a role to play in the way we consume and produce our food. Whether you are a consumer at the end of the chain or you cultivate the resources that sustain us, building healthier, more just and sustainable food systems begins with sharing our visions.

Want to participate in an activity in partnership with Food Secure Canada at the WSF?

In order to set up an inspiring conference session and debate on the topic of food sovereignty and food policy, FSC invite experts and partner organizations to discuss about it.

Together, we will define the pillars of food sovereignty, along with speakers invited for the occasion. Participants will form discussion groups around themes in which they are interested. Throughout these discussions, we will identify policy solutions to promote food sovereignty.

Want to help organize a public round table event? Do you have relevant experience to contribute, or a message to share? Please contact François to discuss it. communications [at] foodsecurecanada.org

Food sovereignty at the centre of the debate

“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.” La Via Campesina

Food sovereignty is an internationally recognized principle, wherein food constitutes a fundamental pillar of the health and vitality of individuals, communities, economies, and ecosystems.

Key elements in food sovereignty include:

• Ensuring that food is eaten as close as possible to where it is produced (domestic/regional purchasing policies for institutions and large food retailers, community-supported agriculture, local farmers markets, etc.).
• Supporting food providers in a widespread shift to ecological production in both urban and rural settings (organic agriculture, community-managed fisheries, indigenous food systems, etc.), including policies for the entry of new farmers into agriculture.
• Enacting a strong federal poverty elimination and prevention program, with measurable targets and timelines, to ensure Canadians can better afford healthy food.
• Creating a nationally-funded Children and Food strategy (including school meal programs, school gardens, and food literacy programs) to ensure that all children at all times have access to the food required for healthy lives.
• Ensuring that the public, especially the most marginalized, are actively involved in decisions that affect the food system.

A People’s Food Policy For Canada, FSC’s policy discussion paper, offers a detailed report of what food sovereignty could mean for Canada. It took nearly three years and 3,500 people to produce.

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WSF 2016 will make history as the first event of its kind to take place in a northern country. Indeed, since its inception in Porto Alegre in 2001, the WSF has exclusively been held in southern countries (Latin America, Asia, Africa). The WSF strives to be the largest community gathering pursuing solutions for the problems of our time. It is an open meeting place promoting deeper reflection, democratic debate of ideas, and the creation of proposals for a better world.

To find out more, visit the World Social Forum 2016 website.