Upcoming Events
Upcoming events
See below for more details!
Future event details will be added as they are available.
Jennifer Lawlor is a Business Strategist with Calgary Community Standards. Jen led the Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw review which resulted in changes to modernize the bylaw, including a new Urban Hen program. She has also been the project lead in operationalizing the Backyard Hen Pilot Program and other changes to the Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw.
Kristi Peters is a Sustainability Consultant and Food Systems Planner working with the City of Calgary. Kristi has been a key player in operationalizing Calgary’s Food Action Plan which builds on community-led efforts to create a healthy, equitable and sustainable food system.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Municipal Involvement in Urban Food Production in the City of Calgary
Please join us to hear from two women who are actively involved in developing urban food systems within the City of Calgary. Jennifer Lawlor will speak about her experience in amending the Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw to include a pilot program for Urban Hens. We will hear about the process, research and engagement involved in bringing forward this proposed amendment. We will also hear more about what is involved in launching the Urban Hens pilot program and how it will work. Kristi Peters will share some of her experiences working in urban food systems, including how the idea of growing food in the city has evolved over the years. She will speak about some of the challenges and successes the City has encountered in facilitating this growing demand and how she sees urban food production developing in the future based on current trends.
This event will be moderated by Food Studies Interdisciplinary Research Group member Erin Shoults.
Suggested Resources:
The City of Calgary Newsroom (2021, June 2). Responsible pet ownership bylaw update passed by Calgary City Council. https://newsroom.calgary.ca/responsible-pet-ownership-bylaw-update-passed-by-calgary-city-council/
City of Calgary (n.d.) Calgary Food Action Plan: Food system assessment and action plan. https://www.calgary.ca/ca/cmo/calgary-food-system-assessment-and-action-plan.html
Sven Anders is Professor of Agricultural Economics and Food Marketing in the Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology at the University of Alberta. He received his graduate degrees in Agricultural Economics from the Justus-Liebig University, Giessen, Germany. Before joining the University of Alberta in 2017 Sven was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Food Marketing Policy Center at the University of Massachusetts.
His research interest lies in the economics of food markets and supply chains. Using econometric and experimental economic methods Sven’s research seeks to provide insights into both producer and consumer behaviour with a focus on advancing food policy and welfare outcomes. Through his research on the impacts of food regulations on developing countries, he takes a keen interest in the interdependence of agricultural production, food security under changing climatic and agri-environmental conditions.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Just Don't Call it Climate Change: Climate-Skeptic Farmer Adoption of Climate-Mitigative Practices
Despite low levels of agreement that climate change is caused primarily by humans, respondents to a survey of climate change beliefs and adoption of climate-mitigative practices among beef and grain producers in Alberta, Canada, indicate a high level of adoption of several agricultural practices with climate-mitigative benefits. Respondents' motivations for adoption of climate-mitigative practices rarely include the belief that climate change is caused by humans, but rather expectations for economic benefits, improvements in soil quality, and biodiversity, among other things. The strongest predictor of mitigative practice adoption is a learning orientation, defined as valuing improvement, research, learning, and innovation, followed by a conservation orientation that values land stewardship. Predictors are not consistent across practices; however, in some but not all cases adoption is predicted by climate change norms, or assumption of personal responsibility to address climate change, and other predictors vary by practice as well.
Suggested Readings:
Davidson, D. J., Rollins, C., Lefsrud, L., Anders, S. & Hamann, A. (2019). Just don’t call it climate change: climate-skeptic farmer adoption of climate-mitigative practices. Environmental Research Letters,14(3), 034015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aafa30
Maybery, D., Crase, L. & Gullifer, C. (2005). Categorising farming values as economic, conservation and lifestyle. Journal of Economic Psychology, 26 (1), 59-72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2003.10.001
Further Reading:
Rollins, C. L., Simpson, S. R. & Boxall, P. C. (2018). Evaluating an Agricultural Extension Program Aimed at Improving Biodiversity in Alberta, Canada. Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, 66 (2), 331-353. https://doi.org/10.1111/cjag.12158