Mount Hope-Mary Allen Neighbourhood Transition Group Making our community more resilient
Waterloo Region Baby Friendly Initiative Advisory Group To protect, promote and support breastfeeding in Waterloo Region
Theresa (Resi) Lochbihler Undergrad interested in food security and public health.
Student Research on Waterloo Region's Food System
The field of research into food issues is exploding. Many students are choosing to research and write about Waterloo Region's food system. This page is a repository for research on food issues in Waterloo Region. If you know of a report which should be added here, please send it to our website administrators.
If you have an idea that needs some local research into a food-related issue, contact Professor Steffanie Scott, who may be able to find a student to research it for you!
The Fight for Food Choice Freedom: Moving Toward a Regulatory Framework for Unpasteurized Milk in Canada, by Brittany Gottvald. University of Waterloo, 2012.
Summary: Unpasteurized milk is in Canada's legal limbo; it is legal to consume it, but illegal to sell or distribute. If unpasteurized milk is to be legalized, Canada needs a regulatory framework with technical guidelines to ensure that production and distribution is safe and clean. This paper attempts to provide those technical guidelines and describes the reasons for them.
Mainstreaming "Local": Potential of Integrating Local Food into Supermarket Chains in the Kitchener-Waterloo Region, by Jenny Chiu, Angela Graham, and Daniel Chen. University of Waterloo, 2011.
Summary: Through semi-structured interviews with local producers and independent grocery stores, this paper examines the challenges and opportunities for food retailers in Waterloo Region to sell more local food. With their centralized distribution structures, it is difficult for supermarket chains to integrate local foods. Local producers often have smaller capacities, and the distribution centers are designed to work more efficiently with fewer, larger shipments of produce, rather than many, smaller shipments. We argue that the integration of local food, with its numerous benefits for local farmers, grocers, and customers alike, is a more viable opportunity for smaller-scale grocery stores.
'X' Marks the Spot: Mapping the Way to Improved Farm Connectivity in Waterloo Region, by Tallia Damini, Anne Tadgell, Kaitlyn Blake. University of Waterloo, 2011.
Summary: There is no up-to-date research on the application of a mapping approach and its effect on direct farm sales and sense of community within a local food network. This study assesses how the Foodlink Waterloo Region Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Map has impacted farmers' perception of connectivity to consumers as well as fellow producers, and whether the Map achieves its intended purpose.
Barriers to the Use of Emergency Food Programs by Low Income Populations in Waterloo Region, by Conor Brennan, Megan Herod, Delaney Swanson. University of Waterloo, 2011.
Summary: This paper analyzes the barriers to citizens with low incomes using Waterloo Region's current emergency food systems such as soup kitchens and food banks. It surmises that barriers such as social stigmatization, lack of awareness and education of the programs, transportation issues and eligibility restrictions all play a major role in limiting the positive effects that emergency food systems have on the lives of those that need them. The Waterloo Region food system as a whole could benefit from reducing these barriers and promoting cohesion for all aspects of the system including those designed for low income populations.
Perspectives of Alternative Food Consumers in Kitchener-Waterloo, by Erin Bishop, Rachel Van Huis & Zach Goetz. University of Waterloo, 2011.
Summary: This report examines the perspectives of alternative food consumers in the Kitchener-Waterloo area through primary data collection. This paper specifically addresses what the terms "organic," vs. "natural," vs. "local" mean to the alternative food consumer, their thoughts on the mainstreaming of organically-grown foods, as well as the underlying factors that motivate consumers to purchase organics within this region.
Stakeholder Perceptions of Community Supported Agriculture in the Waterloo Region, by Sterling Sonego, Natalie Dierx, and Ethan Ding. University of Waterloo, 2011.
Summary: An investigation of CSA member and operator values, and regional innovation in Community Supported Agriculture within the Waterloo Region. Based on interviews and survey responses, the study found that operators were interested in the economic, environmental, and social benefits of the program, while consumers were interested in supporting local agriculture and receiving fresh, local produce.
The Diggable Communities Collaborative: The power of partnership in strengthening community gardens in the Region of Waterloo, by Jenny Ha-yon Jung, Christine Keys and Katie McCarthy. University of Waterloo, 2011.
Summary: This paper addresses the various accomplishments and functions of the Diggable Communities Collaborative (DCC) in relation to community food security. DCC is a partnership between Opportunities Waterloo Region, Region of Waterloo Public Health and the Community Garden Council of Waterloo Region that seeks to create new community gardens and to strengthen existing ones.
Urban Livestock: Barriers and Opportunities Faced by Homesteaders in the City of Waterloo, by Heather Cann, Dave Lenton, Cassandra Mader, and Jennifer van Overbeeke. University of Waterloo, 2011.
Summary: This paper explores the opportunities and barriers associated with urban livestock rearing. The paper draws on experiences from elsewhere as well as Waterloo Region, and examines barriers including cost, sanitation, and legal issues, as well as misconceptions and fears.
Analyzing the Potential for Local Food in Convenience Stores in Waterloo, Ontario, by Charlotte Moore and Erin Nicolardi. University of Waterloo, 2010.
Summary: The purpose of this paper is to determine the feasibility of selling local food in existing convenience/corner stores in the city of Waterloo. The research aims to identify the barriers surrounding this development within the food system and to recommend how convenience stores can be integrated into the emerging local food system.
Compensating Our Stewards: Paying Farmers for Ecosystem Services, by Alyssa Broadfoot and Brittney Martin. University of Waterloo, 2010.
Summary: This paper outlines the problems that face the current agri-food system, and the potential for Payment for Ecosystem Service (PES) Programs to address these issues. In order to examine this question, two local programs - Norfolk's Alternative Land Use Services Program and the Waterloo's Rural Water Quality Program - and additional international PES Programs are compared and contrasted.
The Inclusion of Ethnic Produce in Waterloo Region Food System, by Julia Gunst, Gillian Jaques, Brittany Jurjens, & Ted McDowell. University of Waterloo, 2010.
Summary: The supply of 'ethnic vegetables' is not only a valuable resource for integration of new immigrants in Waterloo Region, but growing these vegetables locally is a potentially rewarding venture. This paper examines the current status of ethnic vegetables in the Kitchener-Waterloo food system, in terms of their consumer demand, production, distribution, and the challenges and benefits to having ethnic produce part of the Waterloo Region food system.
The Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable: The Next Steps and Best Practices for the Waterloo Region, by Jacqueline Stokes, Meagan Gage, Emily Wisnicki, Steph Lombardo, and Nadia Mthombeni. University of Waterloo, 2010.
Summary: This paper profiles the six food system priorities established by the WRFS Roundtable. It examines case studies and innovative ideas, and presents suggested "best practices" and "next steps" for the Roundtable and Region to adopt in promoting a sustainable food system for the Waterloo Region.
Urban foraging, by Laurel McConnell and Bounmy Inthavong. University of Waterloo, 2010.
Summary: With the threat of environmental change looming, it can be important for urban residents to find alternative sources of food. This paper develops a map of wild foods on the University of Waterloo campus and outlines possible barriers and benefits of urban foraging.
Pilot Study for Mapping Food System Organizations in the Waterloo Region, by Tania Gautam & Fawn Ballinger. University of Waterloo, 2010.
Summary: This research paper seeks to create a method of profiling and mapping some of the direct and indirect involvement of food system organizations within the Waterloo Region.
Finding the relationship between designing of community gardens and issues of local economic development, by Shabbir Mohammed. University of Waterloo, 2010.
Summary: This paper identifies design features of physically and culturally accessible of community gardens that can enhance the gardens' productive capacity and their impact on the economic development of the surrounding neighbourhood.
Agritecture: Woven Lea Farm, by Krista Duynisveld, University of Waterloo, 2008
Summary: This thesis about sustainable agriculture and architecture reviews the agriculture community and looks at how architecture can influence sustainable agriculture for peak oil farm production. Its a look at the food system from a different point of view of the producers.
