What: Webinar and In-Person Presentation and Discussion
When: March 19, 2014
Time: 9:00am – 10:30am (presentation from 9:00 – 9:45, discussion from 9:45 – 10:30)
Where: MacMillan 350 UBC Vancouver or Remotely via Webinar
Please join myself and Dr. Hannah Wittman for a presentation and discussion of preliminary findings from our research on farmland demand and mechanisms of farmland access in British Columbia. The presentation will include results from a survey of prospective and beginning farmers focusing on land access and opportunities and challenges faced by beginning farmers. We will also present findings from interview and community-based research on alternative models and mechanisms of farmland tenure and access. We will identify and discuss policy needs for further operationalizing alternative models of land tenure and access for farmland protection and to support the successful establishment of farmers on the land.
Dr. Hannah Wittman is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC. Dr. Wittman’s research focuses on agrarian reform, citizenship and food sovereignty in rural Brazil and local food systems, farmland protection initiatives, farmers’ markets and community-based farming in British Columbia.
Dennis holds a B.Sc. in Agroecology and is currently an MSc. Candidate in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC. Dennis’ thesis research is focused on farmland conservation, tenure and access in British Columbia.
For those in the Vancouver area you are invited to join us in person at the UBC Campus in room 350 of the Macmillan Building and for those who cannot make it in person you are invited to join a webinar by video or by telephone (See below for webinar details). Please RSVP to dennis.jess.dennis@gmail.com and let me know if you will attend in person or remotely.
The presentation will include selected results from the Farmland Demand survey that I carried out over the summer and fall of 2013 which many people in this network generously completed. If you are interested in learning more about the survey which Young Agrarians helped me to promote, you can check out this blog post I previously wrote. If you can’t attend the presentation, I will share a video recording of it and I do still plan on writing up the survey results with some analysis and sharing with everyone on this network.
The presentation will also integrate findings from interview research I have carried out with farmers putting alternative models of farmland access into practice, interviews with representatives from organizations that are supporting beginning farmers or providing land access resources, and community-based research carried out in conjunction with the Community Farms Program. The Community Farms program just recently held it’s 6th Community Farms Roundtable which I had the opportunity to help organize and facilitate. We had a great turnout and the people who participated brought forward many ideas, challenges and opportunities around farmland access and models of shared farming and shared land access. Below are some photos from the Roundtable event held at OUR Ecovillage.
I look forward to continuing to communicate and workshop findings from the research I have been doing as I continue through the process of analyzing and writing up all the information I have collected over the past year.
Webinar Details:
Join Webinar Online:
Click Here to Join Webinar Online
*You are encouraged to do a trial login before the day of presentation to ensure you are able to connect in advance.
To dial in:
1) Direct-dial with my iPhone or
Dial in: +1 408 740 7256 or +1 888 240 2560 (US or
Canada only)
2) Enter Meeting ID: 880895363
To connect directly from a room system:
1) Dial: 199.48.152.152
2) Enter Meeting ID: 880895363
For info on joining Blue Jeans Video Meeting:
http://bluejeans.com/faq#connecting
Test your video connection:
http://bluejeans.com/111
For further technical assistance contact:
dennis.jess.dennis@gmail.com