Since its inception in 2001, Food Secure Canada (FSC) has been a strong voice for food security and sovereignty advancements in Canada. Through partnerships with projects like Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement (CFICE), FSC has brought their advocacy game to new heights.

In contrast with other community-based organizations that often lack capacity to conduct independent research, FSC has capitalized on partnering with organizations rooted in both academia and the community to conduct and produce unique, targeted research. The organization’s community-campus engagement (CCE) work has led to many pivotal wins including grants to conduct research on and . This recognition of FSC as a research-capable organization exhibits an important shift in Canadian culture towards valuing local research expertise and its contribution towards informing all levels of government during policy development.

So, who is FSC and what do they do?

(FSC) is a national network of organizations and individuals working together to bring food and farming issues to the forefront of Canadian policy. Throughout its existence, FSC has championed dialogue domestically and internationally regarding its three main goals: zero hunger, healthy and safe food, and sustainable food systems for all.

As a multi-faceted organization, FSC expedites conversation and action for a more equitable and community-driven food movement. Key components of FSC’s foci of action include: increasing access to food research and knowledge, supporting the development of food research and food-related projects, advocating for food policies at the federal level, and most notably, ensuring all Canadians are given a platform to engage with what a national food policy would do for the millions it intends to serve.

What is FSC’s relationship with CFICE?

In 2012, FSC partnered with CFICE to create the — a network of academics, non-profits and community organizers dedicated to strengthening partnerships between community and academic sectors. The Collaborative helps to increase the quantity and quality of sharp, progressive research that directly impacts the evolution of a more equitable and just food system.

Amanda Wilson, Assistant Professor at Saint Paul University

Amanda Wilson, Assistant Professor in the School of Social Innovation at Saint Paul University and former Post-Doctoral research fellow at FSC, says this collaborative effort between stakeholders isn’t a new phenomenon within food system work in Canada. “There has always been a close and collective relationship between academia and community work, both of which are supportive of each other within the food movement and between agri-food scholars,” Wilson says. While community-campus collaborations have been part of food security work for a while, the Collaborative represents a formal network dedicated to sharing knowledge. Within this knowledge base, FSC and Collaborative members can facilitate relationships between community and campus researchers and collaboratively create and mobilize food research for more informed policy.

Through the Collaborative, FSC has effectively bridged the relationship between front line service work and research faculties. This merger provides various food organizations with a wealth of knowledge, undoubtedly contributing to their advocacy and program facilitation across the country. In addition, the research produced is indispensable since it is driven and informed by community needs and expertise.

Attendees at the Ottawa Food Summit. ©Food Secure Canada

How does the Collaborative, and FSC’s relationship with CFICE, strengthen their advocacy work?

FSC’s partnership with CFICE through the Community Academic Collaborative, has supported FSC in claiming their rightful seat at the table when working with government officials. By bolstering its policy recommendations with comprehensive evidence-based reports, FSC is creating a Canada to be proud of in regards to accessing safe and nutritious food for all.

According to Wilson, FSC’s work has a direct impact on communities across the country: “The partnerships between the community and academic institutions builds a more collective and effective community. It gives [FSC] the chance to engage in research that we wouldn’t normally call research, like town halls or focus groups. We then use this research to create greater engagement for policy change, facilitate conferences and build the complex web of relationships and projects that hopefully moves towards building a better food system for everyone.”

Undeniably, the Collaborative has led to big wins for FSC and the rest of the food community in Canada.

For example, the Collaborative has given FSC the support it needs to continue to fight for a National Food Policy for Canada. This work is important; Despite Canada’s commitments to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, FSC estimates that at least .

The capacity FSC has gained through the Collaborative has given them the ability to produce policy reports, conduct presentations and events, host conferences, and organize to present their research to those who can create change in Canada. FSC’s collaborative CCE efforts were recently rewarded as the release of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food’s report, , thoroughly encompassed several of FSC’s key recommendations including recognizing food as a human right, and the importance of implementing a Food Policy Advisory Body.

FSC’s efforts have even led to recognition by international food organizations also working on national food policy initiatives, as well as another government research contract further increasing its recognition and legitimacy as a leader in food policy work.

Food Secure Canada presents with CFICE as part of a panel on Food Policy Council models at the Common Food Policy Conference in Brussels.

The need for capacity to create opportunity

Community-based organizations like FSC evolving to become leaders in advocacy and research is a feat worthy of recognition. As Wilson notes, many organizations face a continuous struggle to nurture their advocacy and research work in the absence of support from strong community-campus partnerships. “In some ways it’s like a chicken and the egg debate. You need a strong baseline of capacity that allows you to go out and look for contracts and grants to begin with. Once you have that base, you are able to tackle the core concepts of our work, which is making sure the community is in the driver’s seat.”

Through FSC’s ability to capitalize on the support gained through community-campus partnerships like the one with CFICE, FSC has been able to produce research that brings to the table the importance of vibrant food systems. The impact they have had as a result spans from improved access to food in the North, increased environmental stewardship and more widespread sustainable production and harvesting practices, to improved health and safety, and more innovative food initiatives and governance.

As we patiently wait for a Canada with zero hunger, our job has to be supporting organizations and partnerships that fight for a safer, more equitable country for all.

Sometimes it’s hard to trace the direct impact that government programs have on our communities. This is partly because on-the-ground projects leading to community change often receive funding from many sources, including private donors, industry partners, foundations, and various levels of government. In the end, the question remains: Who gets the (most) credit for project outcomes and impacts?

Listen to the podcast below, or continue scrolling to read the full story! Download a PDF of the podcast transcript.

The Food Secure Canada team poses for a picture. ©Abra Brynne

In Food Secure Canada’s (FSC) case, a partnership through the government-funded has had a direct impact on their ability to contribute to consultations on building a Food Policy for Canada. With the Government of Canada’s extremely short ·Éľ±˛Ô»ĺ´Ç·É— to be exact—having a Mitacs Postdoctoral Fellow provided FSC with additional policy and research expertise at just the right time.

“Being able to hire Amanda Wilson through Mitacs has given FSC the capacity to increase the number of voices being heard in the Government of Canada’s consultation process,” says Diana Bronson, Executive Director of FSC. “Amanda’s efforts, our partnerships with entities like and CFICE, along with the work of the FSC team as a whole, have lead to a much more robust engagement process around national food policy.”

According to the Mitacs website, the goal of the Accelerate program is to put “talent to work with an organization that needs it.” They do this by matching community or industry partner funding for research projects that include a postdoctoral student, a supervising professor and a partner organization. The project submitted by FSC, in collaboration with Amanda and supervising Lakehead University professor Charles Levkoe, was titled .

Amanda Wilson worked as a post-doctoral student for Food Secure Canada.

“Our goal with this project was to increase the capacity of community and academic partners to contribute to a national food policy process,” explains Amanda. “We wanted to experiment with different ways of collaborating and sharing resources for policy impact, all with the goal of pushing for more just, healthy and sustainable food policy.”

Through the project, Amanda has been able to take the lead on developing policy briefs (notably FSC’s and their ) and engaging with FSC members and academic partners to generate and refine policy recommendations. This included outreach to academic allies of FSC, as well as targeted engagement around New Farmers and Northern Food.

FSC has a long history of community-academic collaboration. A partner in CFICE since the beginning of Phase I, FSC creates space and opportunities for academics, non-profits, and community organizations to work together on research and advocacy for a just and sustainable food system.

“From day one, working with Food Secure Canada has been a bit of a whirlwind,” recalls Amanda. I’ve been involved in so many different events and processes. But it’s been a great opportunity to build relationships with community organizations and academics across Canada and to hopefully have a real impact on the government’s policy-building process.”

Attendees at the Ottawa Food Summit. ©Food Secure Canada

While the results of FSC’s advocacy efforts are not yet fully available—the first draft of A Food Policy for Canada won’t be out until mid-2018—the impact of having matching funds for Amanda’s position are clear.

“We wouldn’t have been able to generate the same depth and breadth of policy analysis, or connect with our members to the same degree without Amanda’s help,” says Diana. “The Mitacs funding has really increased our ability to meet our core goal of supporting the food movement to engage in meaningful policy change. The best part is that the funding lasts for two years, which allows us to breathe and really maximize Amanda’s contributions to our organization.”

As for Amanda, she’s happy she’s had the opportunity to work on such a high-profile policy process that incorporates so many of the crucial issues facing our food system. “Working in a community context, there’s a tangible impact of the work I’m doing that you don’t get in a strictly academic context, which is something I really appreciate.”

With another year of funding left for Amanda’s postdoctoral position, this collaboration is sure to continue generating important policy insight that contributes to a stronger food movement in Canada.

Become more community-first!

To learn more about how to make your work more community-first, check out our list of actions for all community-campus engagement practitioners!

Back in February, you may have seen the announcement that Food Secure Canada (FSC) won a government contract to coordinate a Northern Food Systems Study funded by the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC).

Typically, government contracts are given to academic institutions rather than community organizations, which makes this announcement stand out. We asked Amanda Wilson, Coordinator of Policy and Community-Academic Engagement for Food Secure Canada, what motivated them to respond to this call for proposals.

FSC motivated to expand community-academic collaborations

According to Wilson, there were a few reasons that drove FSC to bid on this contract.

©The Arctic Institute of Community-Based Research, 2017.

First, the research contract would help FSC further their work around Northern food insecurity, an issue they’ve worked on before as part of their (FSC co-hosts this with the Arctic Institute of Community Based Research-AICBR).

Second, the research contract would advance FSC’s work in building community-academic collaborations and allow FSC to help prioritize community needs.

“As a result of our work with CFICE, we’ve been thinking about, and reflecting on, how Food Secure Canada can broker and better support community-academic collaborations within the food movement and food sector,” says Wilson.

Through the contract, FSC has been able to coordinate a strong research team of Northern community organizations such as the Arctic Institute of Community Based Research, Ecology North and the Northern Farm Training Institute, and academics experienced in Northern and Sustainable Food Systems.

Members and supporters of Ecology North. ©Bill Braden, 2012.

“FSC was in a unique position to coordinate this study in a way that would put the needs and perspectives of the community front and centre,” says Wilson.

Finally, the INAC project strongly aligned with FSC’s initiatives, one of which is “to build the capacity of the food movement to engage in public advocacy.” Since the contract had a strong focus on developing policy and program recommendations, it provided an opportunity for FSC’s academic research and analysis to be brought directly into the public policy and advocacy realm.

FSC’s strengths fit INAC’s evaluation criteria

As mentioned before, a government granting this sort of contract to a community organization is not common. However, when FSC saw the evaluation criteria for the Call for Proposals, they felt they would be a great fit to carry out the study.

Masterclasses taught at the Northern Farm Training Institute. ©NFTI

The proposal was geared to be evaluated on the basis of applicants’ academic orientation, which is common for government contracts. Wilson suggested that FSC’s proposal was attractive to INAC because, “we were able to put together an impressive academic team, while also proposing community-based research methods that would bring in the voices and perspectives of Northerners themselves.”

During the application process, INAC representatives indicated they were not looking for community consultation or engagement as part of the study. However, FSC kept community consultation as part of their application. As Wilson notes, “Community-academic collaboration and community-based research are valuable data collection and analysis strategies.”

FSC shares tips for other community organizations to bid on contracts

When asked if other community organizations should try to take advantage of government Calls for Proposals, Wilson provided some helpful tips.

She highlighted that a major precondition for FSC being able to take advantage of this funding opportunity was their capacity to build and coordinate community-academic collaboration, specifically through their involvement in CFICE and the MITACS Postdoctoral funding. Wilson emphasized the importance of building strong, and mutually beneficial relationships with academics if you are interested in harnessing these opportunities.

Another key pre-condition to FSC being ideal for this funding was their strong relationships with organizational members and partners in the North.

“We didn’t want this to be another academic study where a bunch of academic researchers from the South did a bunch of research on the North,” Wilson explained. “We wanted to work with community organizations in the North to synthesize research reflecting their experiences as well as community knowledge and to co-develop policy and program recommendations to support their work moving forward.”

After hearing about Food Secure Canada’s successful response to this Call for Proposals, do you think your community organization will seek a government contract? Let us know in the comment section below!

The end of March will see this year’s , an event during which youth across Canada pledge to starve themselves for 30 hours to raise awareness and understanding of famine globally. Although World Vision Canada’s 30 Hour Famine aims to raise awareness about famine globally, it does target a problem that many families and individuals in Canada experience—food insecurity.

Food insecurity affects certain populations in Canada more than others. The main factor that increases the likelihood of experiencing food insecurity is . These socioeconomic factors become increasingly important when paired with geographic location. This is why the most affected region is Northern Canada and why Indigenous people are more likely to be affected. According to a 2012 article from , Nunavut had the highest percentage of food insecure households (36.7%) with the Northwest Territories (13.7%) and Yukon (12.4%) as second and third highest. The national average, in comparison, is 8.3%.

These trends are also supported by other sources and organizations that look at food insecurity in Canada. In fact, a report by (FSC) shows that the average cost of food for a family of four in Toronto and Thunder Bay is approximately $900. In contrast, Attawapiskat, a First Nation in Ontario, averages at $2,000 a month for a family of the same size.

“is a pan-Canadian alliance…[with] three interlocking goals: zero hunger, healthy and safe food, and sustainable food systems” in Canada. Amanda Wilson, a postdoctoral fellow working with FSC, describes their mandate as mainly advocating for policy changes that would allow them to “build the capacity of the food movement to engage in policy advocacy with the goal of a more just and healthy food system.” “Whether or not one is food secure impacts one’s health,” states Wilson, “[and correlates] with chronic disease and food security and also poverty—all these different ways where questions of food security, or lack thereof, have a ripple effect.”

FSC focuses on food insecurity in the North through Nutrition North, a federal policy that aims to alleviate some of the costs related to food in Northern Canada. A main part of this would be to support communities in gaining what Wilson characterizes as “culturally appropriate foods.” The FSC representative adds that this is important as current support to Northern communities is falling short. In fact, Wilson states, “I think that there’s pretty well a consensus that the program as its currently being implemented is not working…Food is not being subsidized effectively in the North.”

To advocate for changes in food policy, FSC works in partnership with other organizations. For instance the 2016 report released by FSC entitled was a collaborative work with partner organizations and scholars. These partnerships highlight how partnering with academic researchers and projects carries many benefits, especially in regards to funding. “We just wouldn’t have the capacity to do that on our own, so that report was a great example of community/academic collaboration,” Wilson states.

Infographic from the Paying for Nutrition Report.

FSC operates on what Wilson refers to as a “shoestring budget,” meaning that its funds can create limits in how FSC operates. “We are a small organization compared to other national organizations,” Wilson notes.

Academic researchers, for FSC, become important actors in terms of doing the research and supporting FSC’s efforts to change Canadian policies and promote the importance of food security. Wilson credits academics as doing a lot “of the legwork—going to communities, doing the food costing, generating the data, talking about the analysis—so it was a real project and process of community/academic collaboration which was so important for Food Secure Canada.” This exemplifies how crucial community work and research by academics can be for smaller organizations. According to Wilson, as “a small but mighty organization, these relationships can be really important to enhance our capacity and make the case, [and] provide the evidence base that allows us to make really strong arguments.”

In regards to CFICE, Wilson noted that “the CFICE project is all about thinking through how do we engage in those types of relationships in the ways that are more effective, more valuable to community partners, so I think that taking the time to think through those partnerships is really important.”

FSC tackles an important issue in Canada, and further academic research on food security and food policy should look at and contribute to FSC’s work. For more information on Food Secure Canada and their mandate, please visit .