As we approach the latter years of the UN Decade of Action in Nutrition 2016-2025 pledging to eradicate malnutrition globally, we are faced with significant vulnerabilities to our food system. There is growing urgency to address climate change with extreme weather events destroying food crops for food access and affecting livelihoods of food producers. Additionally, the current COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted food supply chains and prevented food transportation globally. As a result, hunger, food insecurity, malnutrition and economic losses are prevalent.

As land and food are the nexus to population health, planetary health, culture and community, it is an opportune time to explore how we can create more resilient food systems that are ecologically sustainable, thereby upholding the principles of food sovereignty. Hear from panellists about local and international exemplars and lessons learnt along the way in creating local food systems that embeds community controls for food production that works with, rather than exploits, nature to ultimately keep the population and planet nourished.

Panellists:

Chris Andrew, Black Duck Foods
Dr Nick Rose, Executive Director, Sustain Australian Food Network
Jen Sheridan, Co-ordinator, Open Food Network

As a volunteer organisation, MDC has ongoing costs, and as such we would greatly appreciate financial contributions in order to keep providing events such as this to the benefit of our community.

Food Sovereignty- Readings

To prepare for our discussion, here are a few suggested background readings:

https://www.globaljustice.org.uk/the-six-pillars-of-food.../

https://www.commonground.org.au/.../sowing-seeds-for...

https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article...

https://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/news/food-and-culture/nick-rose-sustain-australian-food-network

You can find more resources from our community on our FB event.

Speaker Bio

Chris Andrew- Black Duck Foods

Chris is the General Manager of Black Duck Foods Ltd, a new Indigenous social enterprise committed to traditional food systems that care for Country and return economic benefits directly to Indigenous peoples. An early career in the global investment banking and oil sectors underpin more than a decade of his focus on managing people and enterprises dedicated to accelerating community development outcomes. Chris is also Chairperson of Desert Pea Media, a not-for-profit organisation empowering Indigenous young people in regional and remote areas of Australia through digital storytelling.

Jen Sherridan

Jen Sheridan is a Director of Open Food Network Australia. The Open Food Network is a not-for-profit building the tools and resources needed to create a new food system that is fair, local, and transparent. We do this by providing: an open source online software platform that enables efficient and transparent short food supply chains; Resources to help those building local food supply chains; and Consultancy and research that helps advance new food systems.

Jen works with communities and enterprises to create thriving regional food systems that are fair and transparent. Jen has a background in journalism and academia, including as a researcher on the Know Your Foodbowl project at the Food Alliance at Deakin University and then the Foodprint Melbourne project at the Victorian Eco-Innovation Lab and Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute at the University of Melbourne. She currently leads a number of regional food system research and development projects in Victoria.

Dr Nick Rose

Nick is a sustainable food systems changemaker, researcher and teacher. Nick is the Founder and Executive Director of a national food systems organization, Sustain, and a lecturer in food systems and food movements at William Angliss Institute in Melbourne (Bachelor of Food Studies / Master of Food Systems and Gastronomy). Nick works collaboratively with multiple stakeholders in government, academia, community and business in the coordination of events, networks, research, consultancies and major projects.