CFICE’s Community Food Security Hub

Community Co-Lead
Cathleen Kneen*, Food Secure Canada

Academic Co-lead
Charles Levkoe, Canada Research Chair, Lakehead University

Text box with the following content: "Definition of FOOD SOVERIEGNTY: The right of people to have healthy and culturally appropriate food which is sustainably produced."The Community Food Security (CFS) hub examined the community-campus partnership models and best practices used to advance the food security and food sovereignty agenda of their lead community partner, Food Secure Canada.

Through different demonstration projects, they researched how to strengthen food security networks in Canada, and how to advance food security and food sovereignty in communities across the country.

Glenn Flett of LINC, holds a ripe watermelon cut in half at Emma's Acres.

Glenn Flett shows off fresh produce at Emma’s Acres. © L.I.N.C. Society

The CFS hub worked from the position that Community Food Security occurs when all residents within a community:

  • Obtain safe diets
  • Have access to culturally appropriate diets
  • Use environmentally sustainable food systems.

Cathleen Kneen, feminist and social activist with Food Secure Canada, was also the co-lead before she passed away in 2016.

Check out the CFS Hub’s Partners.
See the CFS Hub’s Bibliography.

Community Food Security News, Resources, and Research

Check out the CFS Hub’s news, resources, and research below.

Friday, April 5, 2019

Join the CCEC Steering Committee — Apply by April 22, 2019

Call for Applications - Community Campus Engage Canada (CCEC) Steering Committee The mission of Community Campus Engage Canada (CCEC) is to contribute to thriving, just, and sustainable societies by growing connections, capacity, and infrastructure for community-driven collaboration with post-secondary institutions across Canada. CCEC emerges... More

Friday, March 29, 2019

CFICE co-lead places article in The Chronicle Journal

Monday March 25th's copy of The Chronicle Journal, a newspaper published out of Thunder Bay, featured a familiar face: That of CFICE Researcher Charles Levkoe! On the heels of the "Understanding our Food Systems" gathering held in January 2019, Charles and colleague Jessica McLaughlin (co-ordinator of the Indigenous Food Circle), penned this... More

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

A conversation about disability in the workplace

Conversations about disability in the workplace are long overdue. In this lively podcast, CFICE team members Kristina Reed, Kawsar Mohamed, and Nicole Bedford have a frank conversation about the challenges and rewards of being open to sharing, listening, and working together to make workplaces more accessible to all. Access a PDF version of the... More

Monday, November 19, 2018

How communities are using CCE to lead the fight for a Food Secure Canada

by Alexandra Zannis, CFICE Communications Volunteer Since its inception in 2001, Food Secure Canada (FSC) has been a strong voice for food security and sovereignty advancements in Canada. Through partnerships with projects like Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement (CFICE), FSC has brought their advocacy game to new heights. In contrast... More

Monday, October 15, 2018

Journal Article: People, power, change: three pillars of a food sovereignty research praxis

CFICE Community-Campus Engagement Brokering (Food Sovereignty) working group member Charles Levkoe, and CFICE partners Colin Anderson and Josh Brem-Wilson have recently published the article, People, power, change: three pillars of a food sovereignty research praxis. This article shares some of the knowledge gained in Phase I of CFICE through... More

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Expectations and timelines when working with a post-secondary institution

by Chelsea Nash, CFICE Communications Research Assistant Post-secondary institutions have specific timelines, long processes for things like ethics approval or grant applications, and generally speaking, a complex power structure that can involve some firm top-down governance. These factors can easily complicate a campus-community partnership,... More

Thursday, June 28, 2018

CFICE/FLEdGE Researchers Talk Food Policy in Europe

by Diana Bronson, CFICE Community Co-Lead and Peter Andrée, CFICE Principal Investigator We recently had an extraordinary opportunity to discuss what is happening on food policy with European experts and organizations, as well as colleagues from around the world, in events in Brussels (29-30 May), Budapest (30 May-1 June) and Brighton (June 4-5).... More

Monday, June 18, 2018

Journal Article: Building Sustainable Food Systems through Food Hubs: Practitioner and Academic Perspectives

Food hubs are engaged in a diverse range of activities in the food system, from managing the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of local food to addressing a broad range of social, economic, and ecological concerns. While most food hubs are responding to some key elements within the food supply chain, many address issues that... More

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

The Benefits of Working with Post-Secondary Institutions

by Chelsea Nash, CFICE Communications Research Assistant Entering into a partnership with post-secondary institutions (PSIs) can open a lot of doors for community-based organizations (CBOs), including access to certain funding opportunities, increased capacity, and the creation of new and collaborative networks with shared goals. CCE partnerships... More

Thursday, May 17, 2018

The ABCs of CCE: Sharing Power

By Chelsea Nash, CFICE Communications RA This is part three of a three-part series on the ABC’s of CCE Partnerships, where we share some of the most important things to keep in mind when engaging in a CCE Partnership. Here, we’ve identified some strategies for sharing power. This article draws from interviews and focus... More

Friday, May 11, 2018

The ABCs of CCE: Sharing Resources

By Chelsea Nash, CFICE Communications RA This is part two of a three-part series on the ABC’s of CCE Partnerships, where we share some of the most important things to keep in mind when engaging in a CCE Partnership. Here, we’ve identified some strategies for sharing resources in a way that empowers the community... More

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

The ABCs of CCE: Sharing Responsibilities

By Chelsea Nash, CFICE Communications RA This is part one of a three-part series on the ABC’s of CCE Partnerships, where we share some of the most important things to keep in mind when engaging in a CCE Partnership. Here, we’ve identified some of the main things we’ve found important to consider when taking... More

Thursday, April 5, 2018

Video: Governing A Food Policy for Canada: Challenges and opportunities for innovation

On Friday March 23, 2018 CFICE and Food Secure Canada co-presented Governing A Food Policy for Canada: Challenges and opportunities for innovation. Featuring leading academic, industry, civil society and government thinkers, the panel presentation explored the challenges and opportunities surrounding the development of Food Policy for Canada,... More

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Food Secure Canada won a government contract and your community organization can too!

by Ethan Walker, CFICE Communications Research Assistant Back in February, you may have seen the announcement that Food Secure Canada (FSC) won a government contract to coordinate a Northern Food Systems Study funded by the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). Typically, government contracts are given to academic... More

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

CFICE Partner, Food Secure Canada, to Coordinate Study on Northern Sustainable Food Systems

Original article posted February 7 by Food Secure Canada Food Secure Canada, in collaboration with a pan-Canadian network of researchers and community partners with expertise in Northern food security and sustainable food systems, is undertaking a study to synthesize research and knowledge on the state of food systems and food security in the... More

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Nourish: The Future of Food in Health Care seeks to host a CIHR Health System Impact Fellow

Nourish: The Future of Food in Health Care is a collaborative project led by the McConnell Foundation in partnership with Food Secure Canada (FSC), HealthCareCAN, Health Care Without Harm, Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care and other emerging partners. Nourish seeks to host a Health System Impact Fellow (2018) being funded by the Canadian... More

Friday, February 2, 2018

Job Opportunity: Northern Food Systems Community Project Coordinator — Apply by Feb. 16, 2018

Roots to Harvest is a small, grassroots organization and every position involves elements of organizational development and maintenance. We aim to foster a culture that is transparent, inclusive, progressive, and productive. As staff, we work collaboratively, we work hard, we do what needs to be done, and we try to keep the big picture in... More

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Report: Cross-Cultural Food Networks: Building and Maintaining Inclusive Food Security Networks to Support Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Communities

Indigenous people occupy a delicate and critical space in relation to food security and food system research, and far too often such research has been rejected by Indigenous communities as disrespectful of their culture or even downright exploitive. In “British Columbia,” cross-cultural dialogue has been embraced by the BC Food Systems Network... More

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Academic Article: A people-centred approach to food policy making: Lessons from Canada’s People’s Food Policy project

Our partners in the Community-Campus Engagement Brokering (Food Sovereignty) working group have been busy this year advocating for a National Food Policy in Canada. They have also been busily writing up the lessons learned from this work in a new journal article titled A people-centred approach to food policy making: Lessons from Canada’s... More

Monday, December 18, 2017

New Parliamentary Report on Food Policy Echos Many FSC Ideas

Originally posted by Food Secure Canada, Dec. 13, 2017. Read the full article here. On December 11, the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food released its report on A Food Policy for Canada, following several months of witness testimony and submissions from a variety of stakeholders, including Food Secure Canada and several of its... More

Friday, December 1, 2017

New Book: Everyday Experts: How people’s knowledge can transform the food system

Everyday Experts explains how knowledge built up through first-hand experience can help solve the crisis in the food system. It brings together fifty-seven activists, farmers, practitioners, researchers and community organisers from around the world in 28 original chapters to take a critical look at attempts to improve the dialogue between people... More

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

CFICE Co-lead Charles Levkoe discusses LakeheadU/Meal Exchange Food Security Pilot

CFICE Academic Co-lead Charles Levkoe has been featured in several news articles and interviews recently with the roll out of a new food security pilot program at Lakehead University. The program is being funded through a grant provided to Meal Exchange by the Maple Leaf Centre for Action on Food Security. The goal of... More

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Job Opportunity: Food Secure Canada seeks Coordinator — Apply by November 20, 2017

Food Secure Canada (FSC) is looking for a coordinator for an ambitious three-year project Vision 2020: Convening Conversations and Tabling an Agenda of Solutions for a Food Secure Canada. The coordinator will be responsible for building, leading and supporting a Community of practice on food security, as well as creating a framework for a... More

Monday, October 23, 2017

Journal Article: Engaged Pedagogy and Transformative Learning in Graduate Education: A Service-Learning Case Study

In this journal article titled Engaged Pedagogy and Transformative Learning in Graduate Education: A Service-Learning Case Study, the authors use a case study of a graduate-level service-learning course at the University of Toronto to assess the challenges associated with service-learning and highlight opportunities for students, faculty,... More

Friday, October 20, 2017

Journal Article: Building effective relationships for community-engaged scholarship in Canadian food studies

In this journal article titled Building effective relationships for community-engaged scholarship in Canadian food studies, the authors take a look at the question of how community-engaged scholars can best conduct research and teach in ways that support their community partners. This article was first published online May 2014 in volume 1(1) of... More

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Community-Academic Collaboration in Peer Review

by Amanda Wilson, Community Co-Lead, CCE Brokering (Food Sovereignty) Working Group One of the first projects I became involved in when I joined CFICE was developing a peer review process for a series of discussion papers mapping the food policy landscape in Canada. It was part of a research collaboration between Food Secure Canada... More

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Arrell Global Food Innovation Awards – Nominations open to Jan. 31, 2018

The Arrell Food Prizes recognize global excellence in food innovation and community impact. The Arrell Food Institute recognizes global leaders who are ensuring future food security for the planet, and hopes to inspire new leaders to take bold steps towards change. Scientific excellence and community engagement are necessary to overcome the... More

Friday, September 8, 2017

CFICE Partner Featured in Small Farm Canada Magazine!

CFICE Food Security Hub partner, L.I.N.C. (Long-term Inmates Now in the Community), is a non-profit charity that works to develop positive understanding and dialogue between prison institutions, long-term offenders and the community. L.I.N.C. is the first and only awareness group of its kind run by ex-offenders in Canada. It was founded by Glen... More

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Five Big Ideas for a Better Food System

by Food Secure Canada Canadians are concerned with the health and sustainability of the food they eat, and, as more and more people struggle to put good food on the table, our food system has become an issue of increasing priority. Unhealthy diets claim more lives than any other cause of death; our food... More

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

The promise of a national food policy for Canada

by Charles Levkoe and Amanda Wilson; published on The Conversation Canada In late May, Canada’s agriculture minister launched consultations to inform a national food policy for Canada. This initiative built on a mandate letter from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “develop a food policy that promotes healthy living and safe food by putting... More

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Food Movement Gathers Momentum at Ottawa Food Policy Summit

As part of its process for developing a National Food Policy for Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) convened a Food Policy Summit in Ottawa on June 22-23. The two-day event brought together over 300 diverse stakeholders from across the country to brainstorm, discuss and workshop key principles and priorities for a national food... More

Monday, June 26, 2017

Book: Nourishing Communities – From Fractured Food Systems to Transformative Pathways

A new book, titled Nourishing Communities: From Fractured Food Systems to Transformative Pathways, has been published and explores how a systems approach to food movements can bring about health and well-being through enhanced collaboration. The book features chapters by several CFICE members (both past and present), including Charles Levkoe,... More

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Meal Exchange holds National Student Food Summit June 22-25

by Biatris Lasu, CFICE Volunteer The national charitable organization Meal Exchange, perhaps known for its seminal report Hungry for Knowledge will be hosting its National Student Food Summit this year at the University of Guelph, in Guelph, Ontario from June 22 to June 25th. The Meal Exchange’s National Student Food Summit is Canada’s largest... More

Friday, May 26, 2017

News Release: New national report card on the sustainability of Canada’s food systems

Reposting from Wilfrid Laurier University WATERLOO – Researchers at Wilfrid Laurier University, Lakehead University and the University of Toronto have taken a first step toward producing a comprehensive report card on the sustainability of Canada’s food systems. Their new report, “Food Counts: A Pan-Canadian Sustainable Food Systems Report... More

Monday, May 22, 2017

Food Insecurity and Balcony Gardening

by Eden Suh, CFICE Volunteer The World Health Organization (WHO) states that “food security, food access, and food use” are the three main pillars to food security, and while food security is prominently an issue in the developing world, recent years show that food security is a rising issue both globally and domestically. Despite... More

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