Territorial food systems (TFS) have become indispensable collective players in the health and the socio-ecological transition of our communities.
We, the participants of the Forum SAT*, gathered in Victoriaville and online from all over Québec, are convinced of the importance of transforming our relationship to food on the model of the One Health approach, in which the health of populations is regarded as inextricable from that of the ecosystems in which they live.
We have a common understanding of the interconnected issues affecting food systems: food insecurity; unequal access to nutritious, traditional, and culturally appropriate foods; lifestyle-related chronic disease; marked rise in food prices; soil degradation; unaffordability of farmland; shortage of young farmers and farm labour; rising cost of inputs; competition from imported products; the precariousness of farm incomes, and the effects of climate change on subsistence activities, agriculture, fisheries, and biodiversity, among many other issues.
We recognize that it is essential to work in collaboration with all the partners who are striving to guarantee food autonomy, food security, and the right to food for our people. Governments, collective and private enterprises, teaching and research institutions, organizations, producers (i.e., farmers, fisherfolk, gatherers, and others) and citizens all have a role to play in implementing territorial food systems in Quebec.
TFS is a model based on and characterized by:
We call for the deployment of financial, political, and legal mechanisms, consistent and complementary with existing measures, to support the sustainable implementation of TFS throughout Quebec. We propose the following measures:
We offer our expertise, our networks, and our determination to local and national governments so that territorial food systems can become powerful vehicles for the socio-ecological transition of our communities.
The participants of the Forum SAT
* SAT for systèmes alimentaires territoriaux in French or territorial food systems in English
Access to healthy, local and sustainable food for all is a collective priority in Quebec. This objective is supported by a diversity of actors and has taken on its full meaning in recent years. The various networks working towards this goal each have their own strengths and aspirations, but it is now time to promote the bond between territorial and sectoral actions and to accelerate mutual learning and collaboration between the various networks and expertise. In this context, a small group was formed in 2021 to launch a unifying process that will allow us to accelerate the pace and strengthen each other.
At a time when food autonomy has become a common aspiration for public authorities and local communities throughout Quebec, this approach takes on its full importance and calls for a broad mobilization of a range of actors.
The Forum SAT (SAT for systèmes alimentaires territoriaux in French or territorial food systems in English) is a process of mobilization and collaboration of different actors and networks in favour of the implementation of territorial food systems throughout Quebec. The Forum SAT approach brings together more than twenty partners: food systems rooted in their territories, national networks linked to food and territorial development, research centres as well as support and social economy organizations. They define the orientations of the approach, get involved and disseminate it in their networks.
Throughout 2022, various preparatory activities will be organized in collaboration with our partners and will lead to the Forum SAT which will bring together, in November 2022, all the actors concerned by the deployment of territorial food systems in Quebec.
The Forum SAT’s approach aims to build a vision of territorial food systems that will be shared by actors and networks in favour of their deployment throughout Quebec. It is difficult to propose a single definition of territorial food systems, but some elements are essential to build a sustainable, inclusive and resilient food system:
Food systems are anchored in their territory, which can be local (their community, their neighbourhood), supralocal (several municipalities, the MRC [Regional county municipality], several MRCs) or regional. Exchanges and connections are created between the different territorial scales. Actors from different agri-food sectors interact and break down sectoral silos. The territorial approach adopts a global perspective necessary for structural changes.
Food systems are complex; they involve a multitude of actors in the food chain: production, processing, distribution, consumption, waste management and transport. These actors need to be considered in their specific roles, but also through their connections with each other. In turn, these actors are embedded in a web of external actors that also have a structuring role in territorial food systems, such as municipalities, the food industry and public authorities. It is therefore necessary to combine the knowledge of the different actors and to establish good communication between them in order to create a network of collaboration at the territorial level.
See the definition of a food system proposed by REPSAQ from the Encyclopedia of Food and Health.
In the face of the rapidity of climate change and the limits of the dominant agro-industrial system, the implementation of territorial food systems that combine societal responsibilities and sustainable development becomes essential to ensure greater local and regional food autonomy. Developed under different models depending on the region, territorial food systems share a common objective, that of contributing to increasing food autonomy and security for all in a perspective of social-ecological transition.
Watch the three videos (in French) on sustainable food systems, the ingredients for a food community, and the steps to set up a food community, produced by Vivre en Ville.
MARCH TO OCTOBER, 2022
Preparatory events
Tour of the regions
Governance Working Group
Right to Food Working Group
Thematic meetings
JULY TO OCTOBER, 2022
NOVEMBER 15 AND 16, 2022
VICTORIAVILLE
This is a first step to build and organize stronger food systems that will adapt to the regional characteristics and unforeseen situations that await us.
More details on the event to come.
Master of Ceremonies: Denis Gagné, co-host of l’Épicerie for 20 years
8 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.: Welcome and registration
8:45 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.: Opening of the Forum SAT
9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.: The Forum SAT process
10:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Break
10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Tour of the regions: initial findings
Lunch
1:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.: Thematic workshops, part 1
3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Thematic workshops, part 2
Participants will have to choose 2 workshops among these choices:
* thematic workshops are only available to people attending the SAT Forum in person
Cocktail hour with the flavours of Centre-du-Québec
Master of Ceremonies: Denis Gagné, co-host of l’Épicerie for 20 years
8:45 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.: Opening
9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Territorial food governance: three inspiring approaches
10:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.: Break
10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Dialogue with public and local authorities
Lunch
2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Point of view of Patrick Mundler, professor of rural development at Université Laval and specialist in local food circuits
2:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.: Deliberation on the proposals to be carried collectively
A look back on the themes of the November 15 workshops and an invitation to the actors, organizations and networks present to make known their current and future contributions and commitments to support the deployment of SATs in the regions and local communities across Quebec.
4:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Closing of the Forum
The Forum SAT approach is financially supported by the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation.
