5. Food Systems in British Columbia
Suggested Activities
Suggested Activities
Activity 1
Volunteer for a local group that is doing a food system activity (anything related to the food system; for example, political protests, food banks, farming, agricultural research, or food policy councils). Write a critical reflection describing the educational value of your experience and stating how the activity impacts and originates from food system dynamics.
Activity 2
Act as a participant observer at a food policy council meeting.
Activity 3
Map your BC farmers’ markets. Create an online map (using Google Maps Engine, ArcOnlin, or another provider) and add a point to the map where your local farmers’ markets occur. Include dates and times for the market.
Activity 4
Create a map of gleaning locations. You can add your locations to an online site like Falling Fruit (http://fallingfruit.org/).
Activity 5
Review content from popular media relevant to local regional food systems. The content can be from a article (from websites, newspapers or magazines), film/documentary, lecture, website or audiovisual presentation. Describe and synthesize the media and explain why this is interesting in relation to course themes.
Activity 6
Present one of the indigenous plants used in your local region. Tell the class why this is an important plant for a local or regional culture, how it is used, the geographic distribution and any other interesting details from your own research. For example, how does it fit into the contemporary food system? Are there any samples of the plant in locally available products?
Activity 7
Add a Wikipedia article on SPIN-farming strategies. Consider interviewing the founders of the SPIN-farming organization for the content of your article.
Activity 8
Create a presentation or report about foodways on one of the following topics:
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- One or more regional cuisines
- A BC regional dish that is found as a regional cuisine elsewhere
- “Ethnic cuisine,” describing what it is and where pockets of different foodways may be located
- A critical analysis of grocery stores offerings. What is on the shelves and why? Who are they targeting? Where is the store located?
Activity 9
Explore the multi-functionality of urban agriculture on university campuses by completing a case study on the rooftop garden at the University of British Columbia: Case Study – Urban Agriculture.