Tasha Sioufi Stansbury, University of Ottawa

The Role of Urban Farms in Access to Culturally-Appropriate Food This presentation addresses the role of urban farms, including community farms and privately-owned farms operated within urban boundaries, in enabling access to culturally-appropriate food for urban communities. Urban cultural farmers are important but perhaps under-appreciated actors in the struggle for food security and food sovereignty, in particular for migrant and Indigenous communities living in urban areas. Throughout the presentation, I touch on several historical and current examples, including the historical prevalence and eventual suppression of Chinese farmers in the Vancouver area; cultural farms operating within the Ottawa city limits; and Indigenous community gardens in Toronto. I also outline common barriers experienced by urban cultural farmers, including access to land, systemic racism, lack of financial resources, climate incompatibility, and pressures to produce more “conventional” Western foods. Through my examination of these examples, I argue that urban cultural farmers can help mitigate the effects of food deserts, help enrich connections to cultural traditions across generations, and bring awareness to wider communities about systemic issues faced by cultural groups. Moreover, I argue that supporting urban cultural farmers is firmly within the mandate of Canada’s Food Policy, tying it to the Policy’s principles of Inclusion and Diversity, Reconciliation, Collaboration, Innovation, Sustainability, and Evidence and Accountability. To further support my argument, I discuss examples of how these barriers have been overcome (for example, through Just Food’s donation of land to Karen refugees in Ottawa) and the positive impacts that urban cultural farms have on their local communities. Finally, I provide recommendations for actors in local and regional food systems to help urban cultural farmers thrive.

Laura Wilmot, Université Laval

Initiatives pour l'accès aux aliments traditionnels dans les communautés autochtones en régions urbaines Cette présentation explore les initiatives visant à améliorer l'accès aux aliments traditionnels pour les communautés autochtones en milieu urbain, en mettant l'accent sur les cadres juridiques qui les encadrent. À travers l'analyse de diverses initiatives, elle propose un regard critique sur les obstacles juridiques et les opportunités qui émergent dans ce contexte, tout en soulignant leur impact sur la sécurité alimentaire et la préservation des traditions culturelles autochtones. La discussion portera également sur la nécessité d'adapter et de renforcer les cadres législatifs pour mieux soutenir ces initiatives, dans le but de promouvoir l'autonomie alimentaire et culturelle des communautés autochtones.