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Food justice toolkit developed by ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½± researchers and local community organizations now available

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Montreal, June 17, 2021Β  ΜΆΒ  What issues are Montrealers facing daily when trying to put dinner on the table? The answers are as diverse as our neighbourhoods.

Over the past two years, citizens and community organizations in six Montreal neighbourhoods have been collaborating with ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½±β€™s Food Justice and Sustainability Hub to improve access to healthy and local food for Montrealers.

As Montrealers enjoy the first local vegetables of the season, ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½±β€™s Hub and the neighbourhood collaborators are ready to share the toolkit they have developed that can be used by any community seeking to build a more equitable and sustainable food system.

Reducing waste, taking stock and building relationships

Here are just a few ways communities have been able to improve their food systems using the toolkit:

  • Reducing food waste in Saint-Laurent
  • Getting a better idea of food resources available in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
  • Creating relationships and understanding the needs of culturally diverse communities through food stores in LaSalle.
Anna-Liisa-Aunio-400Γ—400
Anna-Liisa-Aunio

β€œThe tools are easy to use and our hope is to share them widely so that we can support more equitable and resilient food systems,” said Anna-Liisa Aunio, project lead of ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½±β€™s Food Justice and Sustainability Hub. β€œOur work is about supporting and building community-based food systems that prioritize sustainability, ecological farming practices, reintegration of rural-urban communities and community autonomy over food choices. A food system includes access, recovery, urban agriculture, procurement, farming and distribution, and coordination of food systems.”

 

Free easy-to-use tools available in English and French

The toolkit is available for free in English and French on the Sustainable ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½± website. β€œWe invite community groups, local food tables, citizens and researchers to use these tools, modify them as needed and improve access to food in their own neighbourhoods,” she said. β€œTake the time to read the brief neighbourhood snapshots and check out how each neighbourhood developed tools for their own specific needs and review their lessons learned.”

The neighbourhood projects are still active, so the goal at this time is to share the tools and how they have been applied.

In the West Island, ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½±β€™s Food Justice and Sustainability Hub has helped oriented the CRC (West Island Community Resource Centre) in the right direction. β€œThey have provided a wealth of information and resources in order to better construct a picture of our food system,” said the CRC.

In Saint-Laurent, a protocol that they have developed will allow them to quantify their food waste reduction efforts. β€œIt will also have a positive impact on food insecurity in our neighbourhood. In the future, we will use the data generated by the tool as indicators to set food waste reduction objectives,” said Catherine Cyr of the ComitΓ© des Organismes Sociaux de Saint-Laurent.

The development of these food system tools is the latest phase of collaborative food system research work, which ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½±β€™s Food Justice and Sustainability Hub has been engaged in for the past five years. The Hub is led by ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½± Sociology teacher and researcher Anna-Liisa Aunio who teaches at ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½± and includes other researchers and students. In each neighbourhood, the lead partner is a local community organization, often the Table de quartier.

This work was made possible through grants by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NCERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) through the College and Community Social Innovation Fund. In turn, ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½±β€™s hub gave six grants to the neighbourhoods. In addition to grants, the hub worked to build local capacity in neighbourhoods to help them advance their own goals.

β€œOften, researchers come in and study a community and no one knows what they are doing and how the research has been applied,” Anna-Liisa said. β€œThis project is unique because we are funneling academic resources into communities to serve them and meet the needs they have identified.”

Empowering communities

The toolkit was developed in six neighbourhoods in Montreal: Saint-Laurent, Bordeaux-Cartierville, the West Island, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Eastern Montreal and LaSalle. β€œWe are empowering communities to better understand and address their issues,” Anna-Liisa said.

β€œWe wish to acknowledge support from the Research Support Fund, which enables us to sustain a research environment that attracts talented teacher-researchers and facilitates partnerships and collaborations for research at the College,” said Catherine LeBel, Dean of Academic Development, who oversees ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½±β€™s Research Office.

Note

Resources

The tools and reports on each neighbourhood as well as an interactive sustainable food map of Montreal are available here:

In English: /sustainable/food-justice-sustainability/

In French: /sustainable/recherche-justice-et-durabilite-alimentaire/

Acknowledgements

ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½±β€™s Food Justice and Sustainability Hub worked with both community and academic partners: McGill University (MCCHE, IHSP, CRIEM); FLEdGE (Food Locally Embedded Globally Engaged); Conseil-SAM; NDG Community Council; Verdun sans faim (led by Grand Potager); Cultive ta ville; Alternatives; and several university researchers from McGill University, Concordia, UniversitΓ© de MontrΓ©al, and UQAM. Internal ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½± partners include ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½±β€™s Peace Centre and Sustainable ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½±.

Interviews can be arranged. For more information, please contact:

Christina Parsons
ΖίΠΗ²ΚΏͺ½±; Communications Office
cparsons@dawsoncollege.qc.ca ; Β 514-949-9183



Last Modified: November 2, 2023