PWIAS Q&A: Dr. Hannah WittmanSince long before the COVID-19 pandemic, our Academic Director, Dr. Hannah Wittman, has been researching better ways to put food on tables in British Columbia and around the world. The Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies recently did a Q&A with Dr. Wittman about how COVID-19 is affecting the food system.
“More than food banks are needed to feed the hungry during the coronavirus pandemic.”
Dr. Jennifer Black, CSFS Associate and LFS Professor, recently co-authored an article in the Conversation on the issues with food banks and challenges of addressing food insecurity during COVID-19 through food banks.
“I think this whole COVID pandemic has made people think that our food system, the distribution system may be damaged by a pandemic like this,” said Clare Cullen in a recent article published in the CBC.
Janice Ammundsen cuddles one the baby goats on her Quadra Island farm. Photo: Rochelle Baker
“COVID-19 is making visible these really deep cracks in our food system…we don’t have the necessary public infrastructure to sustain a regionally resilient food system because a lot of our agriculture investment is focused on exports,” said Dr. Hannah Wittman in a recent article published in the National Observer.
COVID-19 notifications at a grocery store. Photo by Allie Smith.
“Civil society groups working on food systems change have argued that this crisis presents an opening to do things differently. Indeed, many are poised to use this crisis for transformation — coalescing around issues like a Universal Basic Income and rights and protections for migrant workers, and using strategies like rent strikes to build collective power. Are we as scholars equally poised to respond? Or alternatively, are we courageous enough to support their efforts where they align?”
CSFS grad student Susanna Klassen’s blog post explores the challenges and opportunities that COVID-19 presents for our food system.
About this WorkshopIn this hands-on workshop, you will learn how to make teas and elixirs to enhance your digestion, detoxification and energy using traditional Indian spices. We will explore the medicinal properties of cumin, coriander, fennel, cardamom, cloves, ginger, turmeric and fenugreek and make them into simple health tonics. Take home a recipe for turmeric milk and chai!
About the InstructorMuneera is an Ayurveda health coach with over 18 years of experience in living and sharing Ayurveda. She is passionate about bringing the traditional wisdom of Ayurveda to our modern context in a simple and practical way. She enjoys a wellness practice on the unceded lands of the Coastal First Nations in Vancouver BC, and also runs an online group program on Ayurvedic living and cultivating better daily habits.
DATE Thursday, May 28 | 6:30 – 8:00 pm (1.5 hours)
UBC Farm
3461 Ross Drive, Vancouver BC
$29 Standard ($25 Student) + GST
We want to say a heartfelt thank you to Juli Carrillo for gracefully stepping into the unknown and taking on the role of Interim CSFS Academic Director during Hannah Wittman’s study leave this past year. Juli helped guide the CSFS with keen insight, heart, and dedication. She always looked for what was best for the CSFS and the UBC Farm, and was instrumental in helping us through the most intense period of this COVID-19 crisis. We wish her and her family well with the new baby, and look forward to ongoing collaboration (and baby photos!).
Juli passes the baton on to Sean Smukler, who joins us as interim Academic Director during this most unprecedented time. Thank you for stepping in, Sean! We look forward to working closely with you, even if remotely, from now until Hannah Wittman’s leave ends in July.
Photo Credits: The Globe and Mail
We know that it’s been hard to sift through the plethora of resources coming out every day about COVID-19, so we have compiled a list of COVID-19 food systems resources, media articles, and other content on the BC Food Web. We’ve created this repository for BC producers, processors, and for anyone else that is interested in finding information that may help them navigate this unprecedented time. We will also be updating this page regularly with new information as it comes out, so check back frequently for updates.
Note: We are not the authors of this content nor has this content been peer-reviewed. We hope this will be helpful to our network. If you come across any additional resources that you think should be listed here please feel free to send them to bc.foodweb@ubc.ca.
About this WorkshopHow would you survive without a grocery store? Chef Robin Kort will teach you how to find wild spring treasures; food like seaweeds, mushrooms, edible plants, and roots that you can find in our forests, meadows, and oceans. This workshop will cover everything you need to know to safely gather, prepare and cook unique flavours found only in nature. This is an identification walk only (no picking, no cooking demonstration) and includes a sampling of wild edibles and an open discussion with wildcraft expert Robin Kort.
About the InstructorChef Robin Kort is a professional wildcraft guide and owner of Swallow Tail Culinary Adventures. She’s worked alongside some of the cities best chefs from Hawksworth to Chef Andrea Carlson of Burdock & Co. She is a member of the Vancouver mycological society and has been running wild mushroom foraging trips and cooking classes for 6 years. Chef Robin has been interviewed for her food and wine expertise on the Food Network with Bob Blummer, CBC with Steven Quinn, Montecristo Magazine, Vancouver Magazine, the Huffington Post, Conde Nast Traveller and the Globe and Mail.
Saturday, May 9 | 1:00 – 3:00 pm (2 hours)
UBC Farm
3461 Ross Drive, Vancouver BC
$40 ($34 student pricing) + GST
