BC Food Systems Network
The 2012 Gathering of the BC Food Systems Network: Call for Proposals
Planning is now underway for the B.C. Food Systems Network Gathering that is taking place from July 5th through the 8th, 2012. In preparation for the event, the Gathering Committee is putting out a request for:
- proposals, workshops, roundtables and discussion topics;
- potential sources for funding; and
- ideas for making the gathering a meaningful and enriching experience for all.
This will be the 14th Annual Gathering of the BC Food Systems Network and we hope you will be able to join us at Camp Fircom on beautiful Gambier Island. Gambier Island is in the Howe Sound, in the traditional territory of the Coast Salish people. The camp is on the south west side of the island and is only accessible by water taxi from Horseshoe Bay, about 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver or a 90 minute ferry ride from Nanaimo. The camp has been recently renovated and offers many recreational opportunities, including beach access and hiking trails.
The theme of the Gathering is Reclaiming our Food Systems: Policy and Practice. A food system is defined as the resources and processes that are required to feed a population. It includes producing, processing, shipping, storing, selling and consuming food, as well as the management of waste associated with all of these processes. Most of our current food policy supports the industrial food system. One of the goals of the Network is to develop and advocate policies to redesign food systems to alleviate hunger and promote sustainability - food policy that places community food security as the highest priority.
The Gathering will blend scheduled workshops, presentations and activities with unstructured time and space to encourage informal sharing, socializing or quiet contemplation. During the Gathering there will be opportunities to explore exciting initiatives that reclaim elements of the food system as well as discussions about the network's policy priorities, including water rights and access, food labeling and GMOs, agricultural land use and urban agriculture, to name a few.
The purpose of the Gathering is to bring the Network together to share their experiences and initiatives, to build new relationships and to strengthen existing ones. The Gathering is about connecting people and drawing on the wisdom and expertise that exists within the Network. The Gathering Committee encourages all of you to share your knowledge and ideas on how to create a valuable experience for everyone.
Registration will begin in late April. If anyone would like to participate in planning for the Gathering or to volunteer during the event please contact us. The Gathering Committee is especially interested in new ideas for funding sources.
We are very excited about the Gathering this year and hope to make it meaningful and memorable experience for everyone. The committee is looking forward to hearing from you!
About Camp Fircom
Located just north of Bowen Island in Howe Sound, Camp Fircom has its roots in the downtown east side of Vancouver. The camp began as an outreach program for First Presbyterian Church (the forerunner of First United Church) and Community Services (the forerunner of Social Services). The name came from these two institutions: FIR from "First" and COM from "Community".
We hope this site will feel "retreat-like", but will also be easily accessible. We'll be arranging water taxis from Horseshoe Bay.
Camp Fircom is serious about food. From their website:
Camp Fircom is creating a sustainable micro-agriculture farm and orchard so that in the next few years food can be grown and eaten on site. The food philosophy of Fircom follows the intention living lightly upon the land: all waste is composted, not taking more than one can eat, and preparing food from fresh ingredients.
They are in the process of rehabilitating their onsite farm and orchard, so its a great time to be hosting the BCFSN!
Networking, our reality. The BC Food Systems Network was founded with a clear understanding of how important it is for us to work together and to support each other, each in our own communities. We came together in Sorrento in 1999 and realized that we both wanted and needed to perpetuate the connections formed at this first Gathering. Doing so in person was clearly not possible on a frequent basis and so we have used this website and a listserv to maintain those connections year round. Over the years we have expanded our roster of listservs, fostering conversations in bio-regions and on particular topics. Please visit our new Networking page to read about the many conversations we are supporting through our listservs.
The BC Food Systems Network was formed in September, 1999, to link people all over the province involved in community-level action related to food. In keeping with the holistic perspective of the local food security and food policy organizations, the Network emphasizes the way in which food issues cross cultures, sectors, and age groups. Through an email network and annual meetings, we share insights, initiatives, strategies and critical analysis of events in the food system and our own work. We have held an Annual Gathering in September of each year since 1999, during which the Network's Annual General Meetings are held.
The BC Food Systems Network became a registered B.C. Society in October, 2004. Membership (and access to our electronic list serve) is open to anyone who supports our mission and democratic, inclusive process. Download the Membership Form or, if you wish to join our listserve without becoming a Member, you can subscribe by clicking on this link and following the directions. Please note that you must be subscribed to post to our listserv.
The Network has operated successfully for over a decade based solely on the efforts of many volunteers and the money we raise through memberships and donations. Please consider donating to the BC Food Systems Network. Donations can be made by sending cash or cheque through the postal mail (see our Contact Us page for the address) or by using the Donation button here:
What is a food system?
A food system is the deliberate organization of the production, processing, distribution, selection and consumption of food. The dominant food system in North America is industrial: that is, it emphasizes mechanical over organic and a capital-intensive rather than labour-intensive production, processing and distribution methods. It is oriented toward global trade rather than the satisfaction of local needs, and is controlled by a handful of large transnational corporations.
What is Wrong With Our Food System?
We are outraged at the level of hunger and malnutrition in a society where food is plentiful. In a wealthy society, social welfare payments which do not assure personal food security are unacceptable. We cannot rely on overburdened and understocked food banks; nor can we continue to implement support programs which leave out critical constituencies (eg. babies between 6 months and 5 years old).
The contamination of breast milk is an appalling symbol of one of the major problems in a system which can be described as "abuse of the planet". Genetic engineering of food and seeds must be stopped.
The high level of corporate and external control of our food system, coupled with "free trade" agreements, is undermining local agriculture and food production. It also leaves us highly vulnerable to an emergency since we do not have control of our own food resources.
We are losing the essential arts of farming, gardening, foraging, identifying edible and medicinal plants, cooking, preserving and storing foods, and the cultures and community sharing that have accompanied them. The connection of food and food security to every sector and level of society is ignored as governments and ministries contradict or undermine one another's actions, and community groups are given no voice in policy-making. This must change!
We need an agri-food policy which crosses jurisdictions to provide the framework within which it is easier for individuals to make good choices. The motto should be partnership among Ministries, various levels of government, and the civil society organizations which are taking leadership in food security work.
