The Conference

Overview

Victoria, BC May 15 – 17, 2019 Join us as we INSPIRE, INNOVATE & organize for IMPACT to close the distance between farm and fork and bring more healthy, local & sustainable foods to the minds & plates of students, from pre-school to campus!

Building on Changing the Menu: 2015 School Food Conference, the first-ever national school food conference in Canada, with its focus on strengthening partnerships, and celebrating and inspiring action, the 2019 National Farm to School Conference will emphasize scaling-up efforts and evaluating impacts of farm and local food to school activities happening across Canada – putting more healthy, local and sustainable foods on the minds and plates of all students. This three-day event will feature field trips to inspirational projects in British Columbia, world-class keynote speakers, presentations, workshops and networking opportunities.

Who should attend?
The conference will gather over 400 expected participants from across Canada and beyond our borders, including representatives from:

Pre-school, School and Campus communities

Campus faculty and administrators, procurement officers, chefs, early childhood educators, teachers, principals, parents, students, school district and school board representatives; school food program coordinators and funders

Non-governmental organizations

Farm to school, school food and student nutrition, after-school food programs, food security, sustainable food systems, healthy schools and communities, food literacy, and food sovereignty

Indigenous communities

Elders, knowledge keepers, stewards of the land and students

School food supply chains

Rural and urban farmers, fishers, pickers and harvesters; food processors, suppliers and distributors; caterers, chefs; school and community-based gardeners, and representatives from farmers’ markets and community food hubs

Policy makers

Government officials at various jurisdictional levels, particularly from education, advanced education, health, agriculture and environmental sectors

Researchers and evaluation staff

Studying school food, student nutrition, and sustainable food systems

Health professionals

Dietitians, environmental health officers, public health inspectors, community developers, and school nurses

And more!

Anyone interested in the health and sustainability of people, place, and the planet is invited!