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Advancing Food Sovereignty and Justice through a UBC-Vancouver Climate-Friendly Food System (CFFS) Procurement Strategy

University of British Columbia. Campus and Community Planning

Globally, it is recognized that we are currently in the midst of a climate emergency. The phrase “climate emergency” acknowledges that human activity is responsible for increasing the earth’s global average temperature through the release of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) (UNEP, 2021). This declaration stresses the need for global leaders to take action and prioritize climate change mitigation in their policies (UNEP, 2021). UBC has created the Climate Action Plan (CAP 2030) to provide a trajectory towards net zero emissions (UBC Campus + Community Planning, 2021) to abide by the Paris Agreement, which stipulates that global warming must be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Moreover, food was recognized as the second highest contributor to UBC’s GHG emissions (UBC, 2021). Food has also been identified as a significant area of focus for social advocacy and action (Block et al., 2011). Therefore, it is crucial to address the importance of climate-friendly food systems that foster food sovereignty and justice. To understand how climate change, food sovereignty and food justice intersect, it is pertinent to be conscious of what these terms entail in a university context. Within this report, food sovereignty is defined as “the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods” (Food Secure Canada, 2018, pp. 9). Food justice is referred to as a social value and action that acknowledges how factors such as settler-colonialism, workers’ rights, historical injustices and other social issues are embedded within the food system (Clendenning et al., 2015). In addition, both of these terms relate to recognizing power dynamics such as socioeconomic inequalities and minority groups (Clendenning et al., 2015; McMichael, 2014). A campus that exemplifies food sovereignty and justice must prioritize having sustainable, affordable food options, provide opportunities for consumers to practice ethical self-determination, and have programs that focus on advocating for the right to culturally diverse food (Laforge et al., 2021; McMichael, 2014). The purpose of this project was to foster a climate and socially-just food system within the UBC Vancouver campus in alignment with CAP 2030 goals. Furthermore, this project aimed to evaluate how campus stakeholders (e.g., students, faculty, administrators and food directors) understand and perceive current policies and procurement practices regarding food justice and food sovereignty and whether these values were being embodied within a campus context. We then used our research findings to develop a Climate-Friendly Food System (CFFS) Procurement Strategy that encapsulated the needs and interests of UBC stakeholders. This project was executed through a Community-Based Action Research (CBAR) approach. Our research was conducted through guidance of SEEDS, UBC Wellbeing, and UBC Campus & Community Planning. Our research identified key opportunities for fostering food justice and sovereignty within UBC Vancouver’s food procurement practices. Specifically, key stakeholders in food procurement, climate action, and policy planning (e.g., food directors, researchers, administrative staff) were identified and interviewed. Focus groups were used to assess how these stakeholders currently view institutional food system issues and whether they believe there are practices, policies or future opportunities on campus to further these values. Questions that were used in interviews and focus groups included topics on accessibility, availability and awareness of food justice and sovereignty in the food system. This project is significant as it holds UBC Vancouver’s food purchasing powers and policymakers accountable for cultivating food sovereignty and food justice to prioritizing the wellbeing of UBC community members. The project supports the UBC Vancouver community by suggesting a strategy that furthers UBC’s social and climate justice goals. This CFFS Food Procurement Strategy recommends targets, indicators, and actions that are intended to advance and operationalize food sovereignty and justice, as well as reduce food system-related GHG emissions as part of a more extensive CFFS Procurement Strategy. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”

Text

UBC Social Ecological Economic Development Studies (SEEDS) Student Report; University of British Columbia. LFS 450

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0421577

Land and Food Systems, Faculty of

Undergraduate

DSpace