“Changing the Worldview behind Cloned Foods and GMO’s”
Kenn Maly, Environmental Ethics, University of Toronto
Location: Reading Room, Hart House
This workshop will outline the basics of GMO’s and clones used in foods (recently approved for USA consumption by the Food and Drug Administration of the federal government–so far illegal in Canada!) and then outline how a philosophical shift in worldview or paradigm can help in the essential shift in attitude that society needs. Production and dissemination of cloned foods and of GMO’s stems from a worldview where we see ourselves as separate from the ecosystems and the whole dynamic of nature. What would happen if humans experienced themselves as *part of* the dynamic of the interactive systems of nature?
“The Globalization of Food: Farming Our Way to Famine”
Dr. Leslie Jermyn, University of Toronto
Location: East Common Room, Hart House
For the last half millennium we have increased the global food supply exponentially as a result of global exchange. A review of some of these historical moments shows that producing more food has always involved negative environmental consequences like loss of biodiversity and increased human populations. In the last century, farming technologies and cheap transport have created a situation in which few people are truly food secure while the global food production system has become dangerously precarious despite the appearance of abundance. Using the notion of sustainable in its original and strictest sense, we will consider what we have done to forfeit sustainability and some of the ways we might consider regaining it.
“Organics: The Controversies”
Dr. Harriet Friedmann, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto
Location: East Common Room, Hart House
If you feel you know enough about organics and are itching to get into the nitty gritty, come learn about the controversies around the organic food movement. Dr. Friedmann will address the industrialization and globalization of organics and will compare the push for organics with the recent surge of local food activism.
“From Food-Art to Wal-Mart: The Slow Food Movement in a Fast Food Culture”
Paul deCampo, Convivium Leader, Slow Food Toronto
Location: East Common Room, Hart House
Slow Food is good, clean and fair food: we believe that the food we eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work. In this session, Paul will be talking about the the evolution of the Slow Food Movement and the controversies around it, such as its emphasis on artisanal food and the implications for mass accessibility. Paul attended the 2006 Terra Madre Slow Food conference in Torino, Italy and will be sharing his experiences with us as well.
“Food Sustainability Around the World and in Your Own Backyard”
Keynote Address
Lori Stahlbrand, President & Founder, Local Flavour Plus
Location: Music Room, Hart House
Lori Stahlbrand will kick off the day by presenting the big picture on food - from the global to the local. Lori will make the the connection between local food systems and sustainability. Local Flavour Plus is a Toronto-based organization that is dedicated to linking local farmers toinstitutions. Ultimately, global change begins with local action. The University of Toronto is the first Canadian university to adopt LFP’s program. Lori’s session will address the start of this movement at the University of Toronto.
Audio Podcasts from several Real Dirt on Food Conference lectures are now available. Visit the podcast page for more information and details of the lectures featured. You can listen to the streams directly on the page
Now that the conference is over, the Real Dirt crew is planning to give this site a new face to suit its new purpose. We’re hoping to make therealdirt.ca a hub for food activism in the Toronto area (and beyond). This will include a calendar of food-related events, links to good food websites, and conference resources (media files, recipes, handouts). Please use this site to share resources, network, and inform each other of what’s happening in the world of food by sending us info to post or by commenting on other posts. In the meantime, we hope you like the changes!
To all our conference delegates who made it out bright and early on a snowy Saturday morning, we thank you! You certainly added much to the day, your diverse viewpoints, questions and comments helped to build on the discussion around the environment and the sustainability of food production.
We’re working on the recordings; they need to be edited (remember the drilling?) and will be posted up on the website as soon as possible.
Please feel free to email us with your feedback, or you can always leave comments to this post.
We hope to use this site as a hub for food sustainability enthusiasts to share resources, network, and inform each other of what’s happening in the world of food. Please feel free to email us any info that you think might be of interest so that we may post up on the web to share. So, check the website regularly for updates!
Thank you from The Real Dirt on Food Conference Team!
We have had an excellent recommendation from an individual who was inspired by the film “How to Save the World”
Here is a review of the movie:
HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD
Thomas and Barbara Burstyn, New Zealand, 2006
Our existence on this planet is precarious. HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD exposes globalization and its mantra of infinite growth in a finite world for what it really is: an environmental and human disaster. But across India marginal farmers are fighting back. By reviving an arcane form of agriculture, they are saving their poisoned lands and exposing the bio-colonialism of multinational corporations. HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD tells their story through the teachings of an elderly New Zealander many are calling the new Gandhi.
What does an environmentally sustainable food system capable of feeding everyone actually look like? HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD is a blueprint for a post-industrial future. This film takes you into the heart of the world’s most important renaissance. The outcome of the battle for agricultural control in India may just dictate the future of the earth. Narrated by Peter Coyote, music by Mercan Dede and the breath-taking cinematography of rural India, this film is a Must See!
104 min.
If you have any recommendations, please feel free to share them by leaving a comment or sending a suggestion through out contact us section.
For those of you who were unable to purchase tickets, or those of you who are having a tough time choosing between sessions, certain sessions will be recorded during the conference. These recordings will be made available as podcasts posted on this website.
The recorded sessions include:
Food Sustainability Around the World and in Your Own Backyard
Lori Stahlbrand, Local Flavour Plus
From Food-art to Wal-Mart: The Slow Food Movement in a Fast Food Culture
Paul DeCampo, Slow Food Toronto
Organics: The Controversies
Dr. Harriet Friedmann, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto
The Globalization of Food: Farming Our Way to Famine
Dr. Leslie Jermyn, GlobalAware
