The Archway Food Justice Program hosts two upcoming sessions to help create a food charter for Abbotsford.
The sessions on April 18 and June 19 are open to anyone interested in helping envision what a food-secure, sustainable and interconnected local food system would look like.
“We’re interested in hearing from a variety of perspectives as food is connected to everyone’s health, culture and environment as well as our city’s economic development, especially in Abbotsford, which has the largest agricultural sector in Canada,” said Vicki Lin, the Food Justice program supervisor.
A food charter is a broad community statement and set of goals that describe how the members of a community want their food system to be maintained and establishes a shared vision for a sustainable and food-secure community.
Food charters raise community awareness about food system concerns and gaps and create an opportunity for public discussion and advocacy.
While food charters are not binding policy statements, Lin said they act as inspiration for how to develop local food policy and or initiatives for the community.
“Our goal for the Abbotsford food charter is to outline our community’s commitment to cultivating a sustainable and interconnected local food system where everyone has equitable access to the food they need. We can then use the charter to advocate for resources, collaboration, education and accountability within local food systems,” she said.
A total of 35 people from various backgrounds participated in the first session on Feb. 14 at Archway Community Services. Participants had the chance to weigh in on six different areas related to food: culture, health, education, economic development, social equity, and environment/agriculture.
“We gained a lot of information and perspectives from the first group and are looking forward to gathering more insights in the following sessions,” Lin said.
The next sessions run from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Legacy Sports Centre (3270 Trethewey St). Those interested in joining a session can visit FoodJustice.ca/Charter to sign up.
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