FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
York University
GRADUATE COURSE SYLLABUS
Course: ENVS 6172 Food Policy Development in Canada
Term: Winter 2013
Calendar Description
This course explores the theories, concepts and conundrums of food policy development in Canada. There is currently no national food policy, so the course examines policy and programme options to create a sustainable, equitable and health promoting food system for Canada.
Prerequisite
ENVS 4011 or 5011 Food, Land and Culture, or permission of the instructor.
Course Director
Rod MacRae
Office: HNES 238
York office: 416-736-5252x22116
Home office: 416-465-1011
Course consultation hours: email anytime; in person, Tuesdays, usually available from 10-2 but make an appointment by email to be sure. Can also often be found Tuesday and Thursday mornings, 10-12 am.
Time and Location
HNES 102 Tuesday 2:30-5:30 [note that course rooms and schedules are subject to change until the semester begins]
Purpose and Objectives of the Course
This course explores the theories, concepts and conundrums of food policy development in Canada. There is currently no national food policy, a situation that has provoked numerous environmental, social, economic and health-related problems in the food and agriculture system. Using a seminar style, the course examines policy and programme options to create a sustainable, equitable and health promoting food system for Canada. Specific course topics will be determined at the beginning of the course based on the specific needs of registered students. The emphasis will be on addressing current challenges and knowledge gaps faced by students in their food and related studies. Sessions will make use of lecture formats, student presentations, discussion and guest speakers.
Some of the key theories, concepts and conundrums likely to be explored:
How can Canadian farmers contribute to a more sustainable agriculture in Canada, given current state structures and incentives?
Can ecological farming approaches generate sufficient yields to nourish the population at an affordable price?
Can we continue to make fish a significant part of the diet without compromising the resource?
What are the tensions within the movement to organic production and distribution, in both the corporate food retail sector and the alternative food sector?
How can eco-labeling be a strategy to address issues of sustainable production and fair labour practices?
How much local is desirable?
Will more regional supply chains improve food quality?
Can the most nourishing diets be affordable?
Can food be central to institutional and community delivery of health promotion?
Can income be improved to ensure people have the resources to afford a nourishing diet and reduce net health care and income security expenditures for governments?
Can the movements for food democracy and justice contribute to efforts to change Canada’s food and agriculture policy?
How do global bodies dealing with food and agriculture impact efforts to generate healthier food and agriculture policy in Canada?
How do efforts to promote sustainable agriculture in Canada take into account the particular struggles of Indigenous populations?
How can proposals for healthier food policy ensure that gender, race, and class inequities are positively addressed?
Can supply chains be restructured to reduce value added capture by agrifood firms in ways that don’t unduly compromise food system employment?
If Canada were to minimize its imports, would exports still generate sufficient balance of payments to maintain significant levels of employment in the food sector?
Can Canada chart its own food policy course without running afoul of trade rules?
Organization of the Course
Each week there will be a few readings, some presentations and considerable discussion. We will identify the topics to be addressed in the first few classes and construct the course schedule, identifying which topics will be presented by students (individually or in groups) and which will be addressed by the course director.
There is a course web site at: http://moodle.yorku.ca. Course powerpoint presentations and other materials will be posted there.
Assignments (including weightings of pass / fail evaluation)
Reading reflections 25%
Each student prepares reflections on 5 selected articles for the course (see preliminary list below to select from, plus reflections can be based on other pertinent materials)
Deadlines: Jan. 22, Feb. 5, Feb 26, March 12, April 2
Word limit: 500 words / reflection
Class participation 25%
Paper or presentation 50%
The paper or presentation will address an area of food policy development as determined from discussions early in the course and the central readings (see below). You should choose a topic that advances your POS but also elaborates on proposals for food policy change. The paper or presentation should do one of two things:
a) attempt to identify ways of resolving a key food policy conundrum; or
b) provide more detail on a change proposal as identified in MacRae (2011)
Deadline for submission of presentation materials: 1 week after presentation
Deadline for paper: April 2
Paper word limit: 4000 words
Don’t submit assignments in pdf.
Readings
Required reading: to help define course topic areas and major assignments
MacRae, R. 2011. A joined up food policy for Canada. Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition 6:424-457
Your paper or presentation should elaborate on the goals and tables from page 434 forward
MacRae, R. and Abergel, E. (ed.) 2012. Health and Sustainability in the Canadian Food System: advocacy and opportunity for civil society. UBC Press, Vancouver.
Also required reading are the following reports from numerous food strategy development processes:
From Food Secure Canada, http://foodsecurecanada.org/
The submission to the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food
The summary report of the People’s Food Policy Project: Resetting the Table: a people’s food policy for Canada. You may also want to read the more detailed background reports
From the Canadian Agri-food Policy Institute,
Canada’s Agri-food Destination, http://www.capi-icpa.ca/destinations/index.html
From the Canadian Federation of Agriculture,
Towards a National Food Strategy, http://www.cfa-fca.ca/programs-projects/national-food-strategy
From the Conference Board of Canada, their Centre for Food in Canada, http://www.conferenceboard.ca/cfic/research.aspx
Read: Governing Food: Policies, Laws, and Regulations for Food in Canada and at least one other background report
One class towards the end of the term will be devoted to a discussion of these readings, an overview of the state of food policy development in Canada.
Additional readings will be identified by presenters as course topics are finalized, but the following are optional readings you may find helpful. You can choose your reflections from this list also.
Barling, D. et al. 2002. Joined-up food policy? The trials of governance, public policy and the food system. Social Policy and Administration 36:556-574.
Carter-Whitney, M. 2008. Bringing local food home: legal, regulatory and institutional barriers to local food. Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, Toronto. http://www.cielap.org/pdf/CIELAP_FoodLegalBarriers.pdf
Cash, S. et al. 2004. Integrating Food Policy with Growing Health and Wellness Concerns: An Analytical Literature Review of the Issues Affecting Government, Industry, and Civil Society. A Report to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Food Value Chain Bureau, December 2004.
Coleman, W. and Montpetit, E. 1999. Policy Communities and Policy Divergence in Canada: Agro-Environmental Policy Development in Quebec and Ontario. Canadian Journal of Political Science. 32(4):691-714.
Dahlberg, K. 2001. Democratizing society and food systems: Or how do we transform modern structures of power? Agriculture and Human Values 18:135-151
Epp, S. 2009. Provincial approaches to food security: a scan of food security related policies in Canada. Manitoba Food Charter, Winnipeg.
http://www.foodshedproject.ca/pdf/Provincial%20Approaches%20to%20Food%20Security.pdf
Hawkes, C. 2007. Promoting healthy diets and tackling obesity and diet-related chronic diseases: what are the agricultural policy levers? Food and Nutrition Bulletin 28(2):S312-S322.
Hutchinson, L. et al.. (eds.). 2007. What’s to Eat / Qu’est-ce qu’on mange? Canadian Issues Winter.
Lang, T. et al. 2005. Policy councils on food, nutrition and physical activity: the UK as a case study. Public Health Nutrition 8:11-19.
Johnston, J. 2008. The citizen-consumer hybrid: ideological tensions and the case of Whole Foods Market. Theor. Soc. 37:229-270.
MacRae, R.J. and the Toronto Food Policy Council. 1999. Not just what, but how: creating agricultural sustainability and food security by changing Canada’s agricultural policy making process. Agriculture and Human Values 16: 187-201.
MacRae, R.J. 1999. This thing called food: policy failure in the Canadian food and agriculture system. In: M. Koc, R.J. MacRae, L. Meugeot, and J. Welsh (eds.). For Hunger-proof Cities: Sustainable Urban Food Systems. International Development Research Centre and the Ryerson Centre for Studies in Food Security. Ottawa. Pp. 182-194.
MacRae, R. et al. 2004. How Governments in Other Jurisdictions Successfully Support the Development of Organic Food and Farming. Report funded by the Canadian Agriculture and Rural Develop (CARD) Program of Agriculture and Agrifood Canada. Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada, Truro, NS.
Ostry, A. 2006. Nutrition Policy in Canada, 1870-1939. UBC Press, Vancouver.
Rideout, K. et al. 2007. Bringing home the right to food in Canada: challenges and possibilities for achieving food security. Public Health Nutrition 10(6):566-573.
Savoie, D. 2006. The Canadian Public Service has a Personality. Canadian Public Administration 49(3):261-281.
Savoie, D. 2004. Searching for Accountability in a Government without Boundaries. Canadian Public Administration 47(1):1-26.
Weersink, A. et al. 1998. Economic instruments and environmental policy in agriculture. Can Public Policy 24(3):309-327
Schedule of Topics and Readings
In the first two classes, we will construct our schedule
Week / First half of class / 2nd halfJan. 8 / Constructing the course programme and schedule / Introduction to food policy development in Canada
Jan. 15
Jan. 22
Jan. 29
Feb. 5
Feb 12
Feb. 26
March 5
March 12
March 19
March 26
April 2 / An overview of the state of food policy development in Canada / Wrap up
Assignment Submission:
Proper academic performance depends on students doing their work not only well, but on time. Accordingly, the assignments for ENVS courses must be received by the Instructor on the due date specified for the assignment. Assignments can be handed in electronically to (this is the preferred submission method).
Academic Honesty
York students are required to maintain high standard of academic integrity and are subject to the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty as set out by York University and by the Faculty of Environmental Studies. Please read the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty (which can be found as Appendix One of the Academic Regulations of the Faculty of Environmental Studies or in the University Policies and Regulations section of the York University Undergraduate Programs Calendar), available at: http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/legislation/senate/acadhone.htm
There is also an academic integrity website with complete information about academic honesty. Students are expected to review the materials on the Academic Integrity website at:
http://www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academicintegrity
HPRC Review Process
FES GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES FOR ETHICAL REVIEW
OF RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN PARTICIPANTS IN UNDERGRADUATE COURSES
York students are subject to the York University Policy for the ethics review process for research involving Human Participants. All research activity with human participants and minimal risk as part of this course has to undergo ethical review. Please consider the following definitions:
· “Human participants” in research will be defined as persons who provide data or information to the researcher which are typically not part of their professional capacity.
· The draft definition of funded research from the Human Participants Review Sub-Committee [HPRC] is: “‘Funded’ will refer to all research that is receiving money that is in response to a specific proposal and administered by the university. Research using monies not administered by the University, and/or not in response to a specific proposal, will be considered ‘unfunded’.”
· The definition of minimal risk being used is the one given in the SSHRC/NSERC/MRC Tri-Council Policy Statement Aethical Conduct for Research involving Humans@ (August, 1998): “If potential subjects can reasonably be expected to regard the probability and magnitude of possible harms implied by participation in the research to be no greater than those encountered by the subject in those aspects of his or her everyday life that relate to the research, then the research can be regarded as within the range of minimal risk.” (p. 1.5)
Data collection for the group project does not involve human participants. Students are soliciting basic information of people in their professional capacities only.
Student Conduct
Students and instructors are expected to maintain a professional relationship characterized by courtesy and mutual respect and to refrain from actions disruptive to such a relationship. Moreover, it is the responsibility of the instructor to maintain an appropriate academic atmosphere in the classroom, and the responsibility of the student to cooperate in that endeavour. Further, the instructor is the best person to decide, in the first instance, whether such an atmosphere is present in the class. A statement of the policy and procedures involving disruptive and/or harassing behaviour by students in academic situations is available on the York website at: http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/policies/document.php?document=202
Access/Disability
York provides services for students with disabilities (including physical, medical, learning and psychiatric disabilities) needing accommodation related to teaching and evaluation methods/materials. It is the student's responsibility to register with disability services as early as possible to ensure that appropriate academic accommodation can be provided with advance notice. You are encouraged to schedule a time early in the term to meet with each professor to discuss your accommodation needs. Failure to make these arrangements may jeopardize your opportunity to receive academic accommodations.
Additional information is available at http://www.yorku.ca/cds/ or from disability service providers:
• Office for Persons with Disabilities: Room N110 of the Bennett Centre for Student Services , 416-736-5297,
• Learning and Psychiatric Disabilities Programs - Counselling & Development Centre: Room N110 of the Bennett Centre for Student Services, 416- 736-5297, http://www.yorku.ca/cdc/
• Glendon students - Glendon Counselling & Career Centre: Glendon Hall 111A, 416-487- 6709, http://www.glendon.yorku.ca/counselling/personal.html
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