The Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance (GHFFA) project, Serving Up Local, is a partnership with Durham and Halton regions, and the City of Hamilton, to increase the amount of local foods offered in their facilities with a special focus on long-term care homes. To help build the capacity of other regions wanting to take on a similar initiative they have generated case studies, a project manual, and communications pieces which are available on their website.

Redefining Local Food Systems

The Greenbelt Fund Local Food Symposium opened with a plenary panel featuring Jim Barham, of the Rural Business-Cooperative Service at the USDA, and John Fisk, of the Wallace Center at Winrock International, moderated by Michael von Massow of the University of Guelph. 

Presenting on local food systems including food hub networks, clusters and value chain coordination, John and Jim provided great insights into how Ontario's local food system can grow over the next decade. 

To learn more, download their presentations below:

Value Chain Coordination in Regional Food Economies - John Fisk PhD

Getting to Scale: Food Hub Networks and Innovation Clusters - Jim Barham PhD

Sustain Ontario created a FAQ sheet for teachers interested in teaching students local food literacy. Find answers to 11 common questions such as:

• How do I get my students excited and engaged in local food literacy?
• What can I do to reduce the risks and fears of our health department
  relating to eating food that we grow or that we get direct from
  farmers?
• How can I deal with the mismatch between the growing season and
  the school year?

Read the Frequently Asked Questions: Teaching Local Food Literacy in Schools

Packed with hands-on tips and resources from local food educators, Sustain Ontario’s series of 5 webinars provide:

• A wide range of ideas for how to get students (elementary and high school) excited about local food
• Curriculum connections for various grade levels and subject areas (including math, science, social studies, and health & physical education) and includes sample lesson plans and activities
• Tip sheets and access to high-quality, ready to use resources

See below for links and descriptions.

Local food is an excellent tool to teach math, history, literacy, science, geography, art and other subjects. Sustain Ontario’s tipsheet series contains ideas, activities, and resources to make it fun and engaging for students to learn about good, healthy, local food. Tipsheet 1 covers a range of topics including: top 5 tips and elements of successful local food literacy programs.

Read Tipsheet 1 Tips for Teaching Local Food Literacy in the Classroom

If you like it, be sure to look at the other 5 tipsheets in their 6 part Local Food Literacy in Ontario Schools Series.

#2 - Eating for Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

#3 - Cooking Up Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

#4 - Growing Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

#5 - Embracing Local Food Literacy: Shifting your School Food Culture

#6 - Building Field to Table Connections: Tips for Procuring Local Food in Schools

Local food is an excellent tool to teach math, history, literacy, science, geography, art and other subjects. Sustain Ontario’s tipsheet series contains ideas, activities, and resources to make it fun and engaging for students to learn about good, healthy, local food. Tipsheet 2 covers a range of topics including: connecting the cafeteria and classroom, and potential funding opportunities for your project.

Read Tipsheet 2 Eating for Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

If you like it, be sure to look at the other 5 tipsheets in their 6 part Local Food Literacy in Ontario Schools Series.

#1 - Tips for Teaching Local Food Literacy in the Classroom

#3 - Cooking Up Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

#4 - Growing Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

#5 - Embracing Local Food Literacy: Shifting your School Food Culture

#6 - Building Field to Table Connections: Tips for Procuring Local Food in Schools

Local food is an excellent tool to teach math, history, literacy, science, geography, art and other subjects. Sustain Ontario’s tipsheet series contains ideas, activities, and resources to make it fun and engaging for students to learn about good, healthy, local food. Tipsheet 3 covers a range of topics including: cooking without a kitchen and food safety considerations.

Read Tipsheet 3 Cooking Up Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

If you like it, be sure to look at the other 5 tipsheets in their 6 part Local Food Literacy in Ontario Schools Series.

#1 - Tips for Teaching Local Food Literacy in the Classroom

#2 - Eating for Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

#4 - Growing Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

#5 - Embracing Local Food Literacy: Shifting your School Food Culture

#6 - Building Field to Table Connections: Tips for Procuring Local Food in Schools

Local food is an excellent tool to teach math, history, literacy, science, geography, art and other subjects. Sustain Ontario’s tipsheet series contains ideas, activities, and resources to make it fun and engaging for students to learn about good, healthy, local food. Tipsheet 6 covers a range of topics including: food system mapping and student led change.

Read Tipsheet 6 Building Field to Table Connections: Tips for Procuring Local Food in Schools

If you like it, be sure to look at the other 5 tipsheets in their 6 part Local Food Literacy in Ontario Schools Series.

#1 - Tips for Teaching Local Food Literacy in the Classroom

#2 - Eating for Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

#3 - Cooking Up Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

#4 - Growing Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

#5 - Embracing Local Food Literacy: Shifting your School Food Culture

Local food is an excellent tool to teach math, history, literacy, science, geography, art and other subjects. Sustain Ontario’s tipsheet series contains ideas, activities, and resources to make it fun and engaging for students to learn about good, healthy, local food. Tipsheet 5 covers a range of topics including: finding and engaging multiple champions, and succeeding by building on multiple access points.

Read Tipsheet 5 Embracing Local Food Literacy: Shifting your School Food Culture

If you like it, be sure to look at the other 5 tipsheets in their 6 part Local Food Literacy in Ontario Schools Series.

#1 - Tips for Teaching Local Food Literacy in the Classroom

#2 - Eating for Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

#3 - Cooking Up Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

#4 - Growing Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

#6 - Building Field to Table Connections: Tips for Procuring Local Food in Schools

Local food is an excellent tool to teach math, history, literacy, science, geography, art and other subjects. Sustain Ontario’s tipsheet series contains ideas, activities, and resources to make it fun and engaging for students to learn about good, healthy, local food. Tipsheet 4 covers a range of topics including: the benefits of engaging students with a school garden, gardening without a garden, funding opportunities for school gardens.

Read Tipsheet 4 Growing Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

If you like it, be sure to look at the other 5 tipsheets in their 6 part Local Food Literacy in Ontario Schools Series.

#1 - Tips for Teaching Local Food Literacy in the Classroom

#2 - Eating for Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

#3 - Cooking Up Local Food Literacy: Tips for Schools

#5 - Embracing Local Food Literacy: Shifting your School Food Culture

#6 - Building Field to Table Connections: Tips for Procuring Local Food in Schools