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Sustainable Food Events 2011
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2012 March 8 Incredible Edible Todmorden: Manchester Network Thursday 8 March 5pm – 7pm Venue: Mint Hotel, Manchester focuses on food, communities and enterprise and will be hosted by Fellows involved with the recent Incredible Edible activity. 12 Durham Sustainable Local Food Strategy project Co Durham Details coming Don Curry and CC to speak. 2011 December City University Food Policy Centre Symposium "What is the state of Food Policy?" Dec 13. Symposium Summary and links to talks including Charlie's presented Role of Labour in Food Production. Chatham House Food Security 2011: Transforming the Food Production System London Dec 14/15
Nov Westminster Food & Nutrition Forum Reforming CAP Implications for UK Agriculture and Rural Areas. Tues 29 London Oct Nourish Scotland Conference 'The New Food Economy:towards a resilient and sustainable food system for Scotland'. Friday 30th September will have a focus on policy and Saturday 1st October will be geared more towards practice, with many examples of innovative practice from Scotland and the UK as well as 'how to' sessions.' Govan Glasgow. September IATP Webinar What's Causing Higher and More Volatile Food Prices Around the World? Over the last five years, global food prices have risen dramatically, and become much more volatile. After decades of low prices, disruptions in global agriculture markets are having serious effects on food security, farmers and the environment. PPT presentations in rt column. Civil Society and Committee on Food Security Just 2 weeks left to 'influence the background papers and draft decisions on food price volatility, agricultural investment and gender, to be debated at hte 37th Session of the CFS, 17 – 22 October! ' WTO Public Forum 2011 Seeking answers to global food challenges "will provide an opportunity for the public at large to identify the principal trade challenges at the global level that impact on the multilateral trading system and identify solutions to ensure the WTO effectively adapts and responds to our fast changing world." Includes session by Int Food & Ag Trade Policy 'Rebalancing the Rights of Importers and Exporters: How to Address Agricultural Export Restrictions?' Sept 20 Geneva. It seems that Export Bans are the problem causing greater price volatility. See our views UK Food Group The Food Producers London Sept 27. 'A half-day conference looking at the real questions of how small- scale production can respond to the challenges of providing food in ways that eradicate hunger, improve equity and restore the environment.' Sign up to Jamie's petition "I support the Food Revolution. Kids need better food at school and better health prospects. We need to keep cooking skills alive." Incredible Edibles weekend in Todmorden Sept 24/25th. "Can we take our simple messages on our spinning plates and turn them into a movement of people who just want to cut down the food miles, keep good quality food affordable, and make a better environment for our families.? " Guest Speaker Tim Lang chaired by RSA Cheif Executive Mathew Taylor. Look out for 21st century enlightenment & food. Significance & Royal Statistics Society Food Security for Cities. "More than half the population of the world now lives in cities, and city-dwellers eat differently from those in the country. They eat more meat, more processed foods, fewer simple grains and starches. Their food supplies travel long distances to reach them. It all puts much more strain on the planet’s resources; and when prices rise, city-dwellers are vulnerable." Sept 13 London What is Causing higher and more volatiile food prices around the world? Webinar Institute for Agricultural Trade and Food Policy with authors of recent 'expert' report Sept 12 9am Register here Shine International Conference is "A new kind of science conference. The global issues of food, energy and environmental change are complex and inter-connected. Integrated, flexible solutions, appropriate for different scenarios in different parts of the world, are needed." Sheffield Sept 13-14 (postponed) UN Rio + 20 The Right to Land and Livelihood Gateway to livelihood security and sustainable development in a non-violent global economy that will focus on presenting, analysing and building support for non-violent alternative models for democratic policy, economic and social change. World Development Movement conference on 'Regulation, Speculation and world food prices'. Can EU reform financial markets - when G20 (below) failed? Edinburgh Sept 16. August Our Charlie is particpating in the EU-China Dialogue on Industrial Polllution and Environmental Health in Guangzhou, China. Aug21-25 He will be visting a farm, talking on 'Industral Pollution and Civil Society' and taking part in Workshop on 'Web-based learning for Sustainable Food'! June G20 Summit Paris - the first ever on farm matters, called by N.Sarkosy in Paris in response to world food price rises ad 'to cure capitalism'. See our commentary The Government is "to undertake a review of how it can marry its goals of improving the natural environment and increasing food production..The review is announced in the first White Paper on the natural environment in 20 years, ‘the Natural Choice’ published June 7. The 2011 Food Issues Census provides "an overview of the activities of civil society groups working on food or farming in the UK, based on a survey of over 300 organisations. It provides fresh insights on the size, shape and strategies of the sector. It shows that there is a rich diversity of approaches and activities, but also that food and farming is undervalued by civil society, and that the sector is particularly at risk from public spending cuts". Launch June 7 Shepherd's Bush London May Launch of Taskforce ' Growing Food in Schools at Chelsea Flower Show. "Research shows that more than 96 per cent of children are not eating enough fruit and vegetables and that children in schools which grow food eat more than one and a half more of their five-a-day than other school children.". Every School a Food Growing School (pdf) from Sustain 2010. Farm Industry leaders together pledge to reduce death and injury toll. "In 2010, agriculture became statistically the most dangerous industry in the country. Over the past 10 years, 455 people have died on British farms and in other land-based enterprises. This equates to almost one death every week." CLA and others are "working together, to take positive steps to bring about a lasting improvement in the industry's safety performance." CLA, FW Lancaster University Promoting Sustainability in the Food System May 18 "will set the context with an exploration of key food system and sustainability issues. Following this, case study examples of local and community actions towards building more sustainable food supplies, from around the North West region, will provide inspiration, practical ideas and learning for all. " Charlie will be speaking at this...and this one.. Sheffield May 12 Making Local Food Work will be "Rooting community food in an enterprising future. Expand your thinking around the essential skills required to develop community food enterprises." April Participants at the International Conference on Global Land Grabbing Sussex 6-8 April "overwhelmingly found that land grabbing is occurring at a scale and speed as never before, and resulting in widespread displacement and dispossession of rural and urban communities, especially smallhold agricultural producers." More on Land Grabs Stakeholder day April 5 for the Vegetable Genetic Improvement Network "will encourage collaborations between industry and researchers to address how genetic improvement of crop varieties can contribute to a sustainable increase in food production to meet the twin challenges of food security and climate change." New Agricutural Research Institute - James Hutton, opens. The new Director Prof Gordon said that he sees the Hutton "as playing a significant role in helping the world address the challenges of food, water and energy security and in avoiding further degradation of the soils and damage to biodiversity. He believed it could help stimulate rural development too." March Climate Friendly Food Farmer to Farmer Inspection Meeting in Manchester set up pilots of the CFF participatory certification scheme in the North West and London. Our Life Talking Food Taking Action. Read their Campaign Weekend Blog of how six Inquiries into how to eat better in the North West came together. "Someone once said that change can happen when people realise that it is in their own hands to make it so. The Talking Food participants realised that this weekend - and now they are ready to take action! " FAO E-forum to define Sustainable Food and Farming for FAO@Rio20 ''to develop guidelines for food value chain modeling that are to serve as a template for food chain sustainability assessment, for the use of food manufacturers and retailers. Ultimately, a Sustainability Assessment for Food and Agriculture systems (SAFA), based on a set of indicators and coefficients will be developed for companies, according to their prevailing needs." Each week the fora takes views on Environment, Social, Economic and Good Governance, starting now... Royal Society Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture: meeting the challenges of food security and climate change Feb 28 - Mar 1 London February Environmental Audit Committee launches ' Sustainable Food' Demo and Lobby of parliament Feb 9th 12.30 Against the closure of the Agricultural Wages Board 'Keep Farm Pay National' More on abolition of AWB. Kindling Trust Conference Feb 9 Manchester Free asks "How do we balance the need for affordable food locally with: BRASS Conference Researching Food Sustainability Feb 8-9 Cardiff University will 'focus on the role of social science research in understanding and promoting sustainable food systems.' January Food Justice (FEC & nef) London 31st asks: "The food system is riddled with unfairness – so what are the prospects for social justice in a time of public spending cuts, rising unemployment, and anxieties over climate change? What will be the impact of emerging UK government policy such as the Healthy Lives, Healthy People White Paper; the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board; and the establishment of a Groceries Code Adjudicator? Real Science for Real Farming Conference Jan 4 Oxford where our Charlie talks about the rundown of public funding in Ag/Hort R&D in last 20 years. Charlie's PPT Presentation. Real Farming Conference Jan 5 2010 December "The food production industry is under significant pressure to adjust to the impacts of climate change, scarcity of natural resources, increasing population and changes of industry regulations. The only way to secure a sustainable future for agriculture is through the collaboration of brand manufacturers, processors, retailers and farmers" (You will need a bob or two to attend) November You may like to sign the petition "towards a healthy, sustainable, fair and mutually supportive Common Agriculture and Food policy" at Food Declaration. Sustainable Livestock Bill falls short of votes and Public Bodies Sustainable Food Bill delayed till Jan 21. Good Food on the Public Plate Awards 30 Nov London "will build on past work to increase the proportion of healthy and sustainable food in the meals served by the public sector." How to enter FAO International Scientific Symposium on Biodiversity & Sustainable Diets Nov 3-5 October City Symposium on Farm/Food Skills (pdf) in Westminster Oct 13. Our Charlie gave a talk on 'Land Science and land skills' (ppt) AESOP Sustainable Food Planning Conference 29-30 Oct Brighton "Planning for sustainable food production and consumption is an increasingly important issue for planners, policymakers, designers, farmers, suppliers, activists, business and scientists alike." Call for papers.
September Soil. Climate Change and Biodiversity Conference 'will report on the latest scientific findings concerning issues such as the amount of carbon stored in European soils & the role that agricultural and forestry practices can play in climate change mitigation and biodiversity protection' Brussels 23-24 Sept July DEFRA announce abolition of Sustainable Development Commission, Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution and Agricultural Wages Board (Unite's response to AWB closure). If 'sustainable' means = balanced development between economic, environmental and social concerns, this is a "recipe for disaster". On the environment/conservation aspects alone, a new consultation to shape Natural Environment White Paper is announced. DfID (Dept for International Development) "has longstanding experience in managing research in agriculture and renewable natural resources. In 2006-2007 it invested over £30 million in research on sustainable agriculture and is committed to doubling funding on agriculture, fisheries and forestry to £80 million per annum by 2010". More. Most of this £80m is going to fund 15 agricultural research stations part of CGIAR. What's the matter with CGIAR?. DfID funding is ring fenced by the Coalition government, while Wellesbourne Vegetable Research Station in UK is being closed for want of £2m/yr. EU parliament vote on food labelling - to extend "country of origin" labels to meat and poultry but to ditch "traffic light" system in favour of GDA system, promoted by food industry. June Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Research in Agriculture and Health opens with Conference on 23 Jun e in Bloomsbury London. Its aims are "to build a new intersectoral and interdisciplinary platform for integrating research in agriculture and health, with a focus on international development goals". Apply for limted places here May Lang & Clutterbuck argue in online Guardian article Food can help cut Fiscal Deficit what better way to "save £6bn this year rising to £10bn per year next year and ever after – with no public sector cuts or increases in taxes? And, what if this also boosted the green economy, creating jobs? And met consumer demand? And helped improve health?" than grow more of our own food - at present responsible for £15b deficit.
Food Poverty and Inequality 13 May London. The growth of hunger in UK, lecture by Prof Martin Caraher at City University, "will argue that the current policy focus on food security is not effectively addressing the growing inequality and increase in UK food poverty." March Threat to horticultural research at Warwick (HRI). "An influential cross-party grouping of MPs and Lords is calling for an independent review of the potential impact on the UK’s agricultural science base of the planned merger between Warwick HRI and the University of Warwick’s Department of Biological Sciences" Farmers Guardian. Check which MPs have signed up for the Warwick HRI Early Day Motion1142. Much more Cargill threatens to delist Indonesian as a Palm Oil Producer over allegations of illegal logging. Cargill may join top palm oil buyers Unilever and Nestle who have already said they would stop buying palm oil from Sinar Mas after Greenpeace released a report showing the planter cleared rainforests.
Feb
and talking of the Ministry of Food... Jamie Oliver @ TED Prize in US (webcam) wishes "for everyone to help create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity". More on Jamie's Food Revolution and US Petition. In March ISER Paper Healthy school meals and Educational Outcomes "uses the "Jamie Oliver Feed Me Better" campaign to evaluate the impact of healthy school meals on educational outcomes" and "finds evidence that healthy school meals did improve educational outcomes, in particular in English and Science." Jan 19 David King City Food Lecture (webcam) on 'Managing the Earth's Resources to Deliver Food for Nine Billion'.
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an Inquiry into "the environmental and social consequences of the way the food we eat in the UK is produced, distributed, marketed and sold."
UK research community unites to help ensure future 
Imperial War Museum