[getsmart-l] Thomas Homer-Dixon to Speak at Kingston Local Food Summit, Nov. 2 to 4, 2007

[John O'Gorman]

September 24, 2007

Thomas Homer-Dixon to Speak at Kingston Local Food Summit, Nov. 2 to 4, 2007

Care about where your food comes from? 
Want to eat better with locally grown food?
Interested in helping develop the Kingston area's capacity to grow its own food? 
Come to the Food Down the Road Local Food Summit at St. Lawrence College, Nov. 2 to 4, 2007.

"Local farm and food advocates are organizing a conference that will help people within a 100 kilometre radius of Kingston learn more about our local food system, and participate in developing ways to make that system more sustainable," said Peter Dowling, a farmer and a director of Local 316 of the National Farmers Union. 

Food Down the Road – Towards a Sustainable, Local Food System is a project initiated
by NFU members in Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Counties and the city of Kingston. 

Thomas Homer-Dixon, chair of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Toronto and author of The Ingenuity Gap and The Upside of Down, will open the summit Friday, Nov. 2. 

"Homer-Dixon is able to synthesize the many challenges facing our food system, our society and our planet, and offers a hopeful and practical vision for a sustainable future," said Andrew McCann, FDTR co-ordinator. "Local farms and food are key to the renewed civilization he calls for."

On Sat., Nov. 3, sessions will cover a range of topics: cooking and tasting for the whole family, the future of farming, hunger, food justice, biotechnology, the connections between food security and energy security, the role of policy and government, and taking food action at home.

Under the theme of Food Fights, Lucy Sharatt, of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, and Colleen Ross, national women's president of the NFU, will discuss seeds, biotechnology and food sovereignty. Rick Munroe, a local teacher and farmer, will share his research on peak oil, energy security and food security. Debbie Field, of Toronto's FoodShare, will explore the future of food justice.

For those interested in taking food action at home, Tibrata Gillies, chef at Pan Chancho, will offer a workshop on seasonal cooking and eating local all year round, while food activists will describe how to grow food in the city (in home and community gardens). Meanwhile, Chef Thomas Elia and students in the culinary arts program at St. Lawrence College will offer tasting workshops for the whole family.

Local farmers Pat Dawson and John Wise and University of Guelph professor Anne Clark will discuss the question, "What is sustainable farming?" on Saturday morning. In the afternoon, speakers will propose ways to support new farmers and new models for producing, processing and direct marketing local food.

"Saturday's program is intended to inspire participants in drafting a local food declaration on Sunday," said Beth Pater, member of the Food Down the Road Community Council and chair of the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Board of Health. "The declaration will be the beginning of a food charter for Kingston and countryside, a statement of principles and practical directions for the future of food in our region."
"We will seek endorsement of the food charter by local municipal governments, institutions, organizations and individuals, so that these shared principles and practices will be integrated into decision-making processes," Pater said. 

"We are looking forward to a very exciting summit and to working toward a sustainable and inclusive local food system for Kingston and the surrounding countryside," Dowling said.

The registration fee is $10 per day, which includes local food lunches and refreshments that celebrate the bounty of our region’s fall harvest. 

Partners in sponsoring the Summit are the NFU, the Eat from Kingston's Countryside project, KEDCO (Kingston Economic Development Corporation), KFL&A Public Health and St. Lawrence College.

For more information and to register, go to www.fooddowntheroad.ca.

Along with contributions from local organizations and many volunteers, Food Down the Road is funded in part through contributions by the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario under the Agricultural Management Institute (AMI), an initiative of the federal-provincial-territorial Agricultural Policy Framework designed to position Canada’s agri-food sector as a world leader. The Agricultural Adaptation Council administers the AMI program on behalf of the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario. 

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For further information, please view www.fooddowntheroad.ca, or contact, 
Peter Dowling                                                            Andrew McCann
NFU Local 316 Director                                           Food Down the Road Co-ordinator
613-546-0869 dowling at kos.net                            613-767-4127 info at fooddowntheroad.ca
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