The Archway Food Justice Program will host two upcoming sessions to support the creation of Abbotsford's Food Charter.
Sessions on April 18 and June 19 are open to anyone interested in imagining what a food-secure, sustainable and interconnected local food system might look like. .
“Food is relevant to everyone's health, culture, environment and the economic development of our city, especially Abbotsford, which has Canada's largest agricultural sector, so we want to hear from a variety of perspectives. “I'm interested in that,” said Vicki Lin. Food Justice Program Supervisor.
A Food Charter is a broad community statement that describes how community members want their food system to be maintained and establishes a shared vision for a sustainable and food secure community. A set of goals to achieve.
The Food Charter raises community awareness of concerns and gaps in the food system and creates opportunities for public debate and advocacy.
Mr Lin said the Food Charter was not a binding policy statement, but served as an inspiration for how local food policy and community initiatives could be developed.
“The goal of our Abbotsford Food Charter is to outline our community’s commitment to fostering a sustainable, interconnected local food system where everyone has fair access to the food they need. “We can now use this Charter to advocate for resources, collaboration, education and accountability within local food systems,” she said.
A total of 35 people from a variety of backgrounds attended the first session, which took place on February 14 at Archway Community Services. Participants had the opportunity to consider six different areas related to food: culture, health, education, economic development, social equity, and environment/agriculture.
“We gained a lot of information and perspective from the first group, and we look forward to gleaning even more insights in the next session,” Lin said.
The next session will be held at the Legacy Sports Center (3270 Trethewey St) from 1-3 p.m. If you are interested in attending a session, please visit FoodJustice.ca/Charter to sign up.
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