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Looking Further Together

WHAT IS
A TERRITORIAL FOOD SYSTEM?

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:

 

A territorial approach

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.

A systems approach

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.

 

An approach based
on the social-ecological transition

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.

EVENTS
Forum SAT 2025 : National Event
FEBRUARY 25-26, 2025 - Saint-Hyacinthe

REGISTER HERE NOW!


Webinar: Realities of mobilising municipal actors in food programs
17 November 2023 - 75 minutes

TO WATCH THE RECORDING, IT'S HERE


Webinar: Pooling of food transports
26 October 2023 - 75 minutes

TO WATCH THE RECORDING, IT'S HERE


REGISTRATION

Solutions adapted to the territories

Regional Focus

REGIONAL POSTERS 2022
SUMMARIES 2024-2025

Ahead of the first edition of the Forum SAT, a regional tour was conducted from June to October 2022, allowing the initiative’s team to meet with stakeholders from all 17 regions of Quebec.

Whether through workshops held in person or virtually, or by referring to documents produced during recent consultations with regional and local organizations, the Forum SAT gathered the needs, challenges, and successes of territorial food systems (TFS) in Quebec’s administrative regions. In collaboration with regional stakeholders, posters representing the TFS of each region were created to provide an overview during the national event in November 2022.

Thereafter, in order to deepen and update the information featured on the posters, the Forum SAT team worked with its regional partners to develop ten-page summaries. These summaries provide detailed insights 1by sector (production, processing, distribution, consumption, waste management, governance, as well as a cross-cutting section), highlighting the strengths and challenges of TFS. The content of these summaries is based on the expertise of local stakeholders and also draws from documentation related to TFS and its sectors. The drafting of these summaries spans from spring 2023 to spring 2025 (still ongoing).

The regional summaries were written in French, except for the summaries for Nord-du-Québec – Eeyou Istchee and Nord-du-Québec – Nunavik, which are also available in English.

OUR PARTNERS
REGAL+, Laurentides
First Nations and Inuit in Quebec and Labrador Food Security Committee
OUR FUNDING PARTNERS
PARTNER

The Forum SAT approach is financially supported by the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation.

CONTACT

1431 rue Fullum, Suite 209, Montréal, QC H2K 0B5

Florence Roy-Allard, co-coordinator
florence@forumsat.org

Laurence Deschamps-Léger, co-coordinator
laurence@forumsat.org

Gabrielle Payette-Bédard, responsible for regional mobilization
gabrielle@forumsat.org

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