Activating Change Together for

Community Food Security in Nova Scotia

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Activating Change Together (ACT) for Community Food Security is a participatory research project that enhances Community Food Security for all Nova Scotians. Rooted in lived experiences, real community needs and innovative solutions, it amplifies and broadens conversation, research, and action to strengthen capacity for policy change. Our vision of Community Food Security (CFS) in Nova Scotia includes access to enough affordable, healthy, and culturally appropriate food, produced in socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable ways that promote self-reliance and social justice. CFS is not only a goal, but also a framework, a movement, and a pathway toward policy change.

This collaboration of community partners, academics, and government agencies is a 5-year Community University Research Alliance (CURA) project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The project aims to create policy change at multiple levels. Individual, organizational, community, and systems capacity will be increased through the creation of educational and training tools, events, dialogues, curricula, policy briefings, and action plans.

The project will use a diversity of tools to explore CFS, including community food assessments, policy mapping and analysis, and exploration of citizen perspectives through a variety of dialogues, interactive learning, and multi-media technologies. The project is committed to the principles of Participatory Action Research (PAR). At its core, PAR is a process of inquiry, learning, critical analysis, community building, and social change. This approach incorporates multiple, diverse perspectives through an iterative process of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting.

THE CONTEXT

Nova Scotia has a rich rural tradition of agriculture and fisheries based economies and communities. This work is timely and important because Nova Scotians report some of the highest rates of income-related food insecurity in Canada, and agriculture and fisheries sectors are currently in crisis. The project involves communities that directly feel the effects of food insecurity—and the organizations that represent them—at the very heart of its participatory action research process to strengthen community food systems.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Our values and guiding principles were created collectively. CURA team members’ value:

• Meaningful relationships;
• Sharing power;
• Building individual, organizational, community, and systems capacity;
• Participatory methods and leadership approaches;
• Transformative ways of understanding and taking action;
• The unique contributions and perspectives of all team members and participants;
• Responsive and accountable leadership;
• Clear and transparent decision-making processes;
• Accessibility of opportunity to participate; and
• Activities rooted in real community needs.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

As a result of previous work and ongoing input by partners, three broad research questions have been identified:

1. What are the components of, and factors contributing to, CFS in NS?
2. How can we build capacity for policy change at multiple levels to improve CFS? And;
3. What and how can a community-university research process contribute to the theory and practice of policy changes related to community food security?

PROJECT STRUCTURE

The Program Coordination Committee (PCC) is the governing body of the CURA, with representatives from working groups, founding partners, and community groups. The PCC provides ongoing strategic oversight to the research and activities. The CURA’s Management Team (MT) supports project management and leadership to the PCC, and the Advisory Committee (AC) provides advice and feedback, and members act as project ambassadors

Five Working Groups (WGs) focus on the five key areas work:

1 - Participatory Community Food Security Assessment: To assess food systems and their impact on food access in selected Nova Scotia communities to enhance our understanding of the evolving concept of community food security.

2 - Policy Mapping & Analysis: To examine the policy environment that impacts Community Food Security in Nova Scotia.

3 - Knowledge Mobilization: To strengthen Community Food Security through policy change by mobilizing knowledge gained within case study communities and beyond.

4- Education and Training: To Increase knowledge and skills of students and CURA partners in Participatory Action Research, Community Food Security and development of strategies for policy change through innovative and diverse educational and training opportunities.

5 - Evaluation and Participatory Methods: To collect and report research outcomes of importance to Community Food Security and capacity building for policy change that will be of value in Canada and elsewhere.

CURA Gathering - 2010

In August 2010, the project partners met to kick off a five year project entitled: Activating Policy Change for Community Food Security. 

Click here to view the harvest materials that resulted from that meeting.

For more information, please contact:
Satya Ramen, Project Coordinator at (902) 457-6513 and cura.coordinator@msvu.ca