About the Project
Community Impact of Small-scale Food Processing is co-led by Irena Knezevic and Sandra Mark, the project co-manager with Small Scale Food Processors Association. Mark has been working in community development for more than three decades and is one of the founders of SSFPA. Knezevic has worked with community food initiatives for over a decade and is overseeing the Carleton University’s Food and Media Hub.
The project explores the contribution small-scale food processors make in the food system in their communities, and documents the wide range of innovation evident in the sector. We are currently gathering data through interviews, literature reviews and environmental scans, and consultation meetings with stakeholders. The findings will be disseminated through webinars, infographics and policy briefs.
We are fortunate to be collaborating with two internationally renowned researchers and their teams: Kent Mullinix at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Mary Beckie at the University of Alberta. Mullinix is the Director of the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems and an expert on bioregional food systems. Beckie is the Director of Community Engagement Studies in the School of Public Health with expertise in sustainable agriculture and community development.
Our collaborative research also includes Sylvain Charlebois, the Director of Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, David Connell at the University of Northern British Columbia, and Kate Ruff at Carleton University.
Publications
S.*, C. Appleby* and I. Knezevic. (2019). Small Scale Food Processor Association and Agrarians Foundation: Consultation event report. Nanaimo, BC: Small Scale Food Processor Association.
For more information about the project, contact irena.knezevic@carleton.ca
Supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
