Creating Alternative Food Futures: Food Sovereignty in Ireland and Beyond

Thursday, April 13, 2017 - 10:00 to 15:30
Callan Building & Callan Hall

Creating Alternative Food Futures: Food Sovereignty in Ireland and Beyond

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April 17 is International Day of Peasant Struggle – a day to recognize and acknowledge the difficulties faced by diverse food producers in a world in which one-tenth of humanity experiences hunger. There is no better time of the year to discuss and debate how we can create alternative food futures in Ireland and beyond. Whether by adopting food sovereignty or some other framework, at issue is ¬finding ways for urban and rural dwellers, peasants, landless people, small-scale farmers, and coastal communities to work on mechanisms that can nourish and empower food producers and consumers like never before. The task is to identify and raise the profile of projects and practices that might build a sustainable, democratic, and just food system. During this one-day event held at Maynooth University on April 13 (we’re closed April 17), we invite attendees to contribute and share their experiences about creating alternative food futures.

Creating Alternative Food Futures will explore three themes:

Theme 1: ‘Resist’
10 to 11.30am
Location: Callan Building Room CB2, North Campus of Maynooth University.

Keynote speaker:
Dr. Chiara Tornaghi 
Research Fellow in Urban Food Sovereignty and Resilience Centre for Agroecology, Water & Resilience, Coventry University, UK

COFFEE

Theme 2: ‘Transform’
12 to 1.15pm
Location: Callan Hall, South Campus of Maynooth University.

Hosted by Davie Philip, Cultivate / Cloughjordan Eco Village

Short presentations, including overviews of their work from:
Fergal Anderson, Food Sovereignty Ireland
Rachel Dempsey, Lourdes Youth & Community Centre
Andrew Douglas, Urban Farm
Louise Fitzgerald, Young Friends of the Earth
Thais Montovani, Latin American Solidarity Centre 
Joe Murray, Afri
Michael O’Brien, Trocaire
Ciarán McCollum, Dublin Food Co-op

Theme 3: ‘Build’
2 to 3.30pm
Location: Callan Hall, South Campus of Maynooth University.
Short documentary, followed by discussion on creating alternative food futures in Ireland via initiating a national land trust. 

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Creating Alternative Food Futures is supported by: The Department of Geography, Maynooth University; The Department of Sociology, Maynooth University; The Maynooth University Conference and Workshop Fund; Afri; Food Sovereignty Ireland.

Please confirm attendance by emailing: foodsovmaynooth@gmail.com

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