Food Systems Literacy - Connecting the dots!

As an environmental educator, I wanted to take a deeper look at Food Systems Literacy connections. What I learned is that there are many synergies across the foodways that can help shift our food systems to become sustainable for future generations.

In our workshops, we help students think about how food systems, people, and nature are all interconnected. In the ecosystems where we live and grow food, there is so much deep interrelatedness between people and the soil, the creatures above and below the ground, the water cycle, and what we all need from the Earth. To achieve food security amidst future challenges like climate change, there are important lessons that we can learn from Indigenous food systems. We can bring a sustainability lens to our decisions, and practice stronger collective governance! Even small-scale governance actions, like making a Food Commons, is a way to shape our collective food future.

Through this food systems learning journey, I saw examples of how small-scale actions can shape our tools and our imagination of the large scale possibilities. There are creative and exciting ways that Indigenous communities are revitalizing foodways, like Ancestral FoodWays Society and the Revelstoke Food Commons. There is building momentum for regenerative agriculture practices and policies, with groups like the Circular Innovation Council building a network of farmers, investors, and certification specialists.

As with any environmental and climate change action, there are a hundred fascinating answers without one silver-bullet. The ways we engage now will shape the food systems for the generations to come, so how can we each figure out what to do to help? Try checking out the Climate Action Venn diagram from Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. It helps to think about what strengths you bring to the table, and consider what you will find joy doing! When we are able to do this kind of meaningful work in a way that is joyful, it helps us to keep going even when the road can feel uphill. It also encourages more people around us to take notice and want to be part of the positive change.