1 Why agriculture & the University? purchasing power - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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• Why agriculture & the University? • purchasing power • resources • flexibility • innovation 2

• Testing ground for new models & new jobs 3

McGill Food Systems Project • Institutional food sourcing • through: community collaboration • and applied student research • anyone can do this, anywhere 4

Background • Anthropology and agriculture? • Conferences can be useful • Tim + Dana tackle an institution 5

• 10 min to explain 12 months 6

• Step 1: develop vision, build support 7

• Step 2: understand the system • Summer research: • 5 positions, 4 months, 3 questions 8

1. Where does our food come from, and why? 2. Who is in charge of our food sourcing decisions? 3. How can we - as a community - improve the sustainability of our food chain at McGill? 9

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• Food sourcing database 11

On average, how far does a Granny Smith apple travel to reach McGill Dining Hallss? A ) 700 km B ) 1700 km C ) 5700 km D ) 7700 km 12

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Farm to Plate: Understanding the Institutional Supply Chain McGill’s Restaurants and Dining Student Halls Food Service Chartwells Sodexo Self-Operated Residence Providers Suppliers & Hector Larivée Distributors Produce Brokers Commodity Brokers Non- Québec Farmers Québec Produce Produce 14

• Partners • 60 people • 150 meetings 15

• Resources for institutional memory Farm to Plate: Unpacking McGill’s Food Systems Annual purchasing database Organizational charts 16

• Question 3: opportunities for improvement? • so much work to be done 17

• Green jobs in first year : • Researching : four courses • Ordering : $1,000’s at McGill farm • Eating : local food for 3,000 students • Coordinating : ten student positions • Strengthening market for local farmers 18

• Next winter & summer • 5 new positions, communications budget • institutionalize research opportunities • external partners • common vision & strategy 19

The future? • Think Big: Changing culture and conventions • 100% Seasonal Menus • Alternatives to corporate food services • Direct Sourcing: support local farmers 20

• Optimistic? 21

• Barriers: • lots to learn • people are busy • systems need to be built 22

Opportunities: hot topic • support • funding • • 23

• Agriculture & the university = supply & demand • Building a local food economy • Helping people reconnect to the food they consume 24

• Anyone, anywhere 25

• Jobs to be filled 26

• http://mfsp.wordpress.com • mcgill.foodsystems.project@gmail.com 27