MODELS OF COMMUNITY
UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP IN
THE WATERLOO REGION
FOOD SYSTEM
Katherine Pigott – Region of Waterloo
Public Health
Dr. Steffanie Scott – University of Waterloo
CFICE Workshop – Edmonton, Alberta
November 3rd, 2012
Building Healthy and Supportive Communities
Comparison of two community
university partnership models
• Model # 1 – Faculty of Environment
University of Waterloo
• Model # 2 – Healthy Eating & Active
Communities Team, Region of
Waterloo Public Health
Building Healthy and Supportive Communities
Faculty of Environment
University of Waterloo
• Academic department sponsors
community-university partnership
• Fourth year food systems course
• Forty to fifty students a year conduct
fieldwork
• Annual consultations with civil
society food system stakeholders to
create research/evaluation agenda
Building Healthy and Supportive Communities
Healthy Eating and Active
Communities Team
• Civil society actor sponsors
community-university partnership
• Inter-disciplinary team in public
health department in regional
government
• Over sixty practicum students in
twelve years from several
disciplines and academic institutions
• Practicum placements supported by
Central Resources Division
Building Healthy and Supportive Communities
Waterloo Region Context
Mid-sized urban community
Vibrant countryside
8
Our Definition of a
Healthy Food System
All residents have
access to, and can
afford to buy safe,
nutritious, culturally
acceptable food that
has been produced in
an environmentally
sustainable way and
that sustains our rural
communities.
Building Healthy and Supportive Communities
Faculty of Environment as
facilitator of healthy food system
• Geography 461 – Food Systems
and Sustainability
• Examines food systems
sustainability and food security
• Broad lens: from production to
consumption - from local to global
• Strong emphasis on civil society
initiatives and localizing food
systems
Building Healthy and Supportive Communities
Public Health as facilitator of a
healthy food system
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Research
Economic Development
Community-based Partnerships
Policy Development
Organizational Change
Capacity Building for Advocacy
Food System Plan
System-wide networks
Building Healthy and Supportive Communities
Final Food System Plan,
April 2007
Key
Recommendation:
• "Public Health continue
to provide
administrative and
research support to the
Waterloo Region Food
System Roundtable"
• Roundtable becomes
guardian of Food
System Plan
SYSTEM WIDE NETWORK
• First meeting held early
2008
• Comprised of 18
representatives from key
sectors in the local food
system
• Oversees implementation
of "A Healthy Community
Food System Plan"
Building Healthy and Supportive Communities
Food System Priorities
www.wrfoodsystem.ca/priorities
Food Sovereignty
Food Policy
Urban Agriculture
Local Food Infrastructure
Farm Viability
Access To Healthy Food
Building Healthy and Supportive Communities
Building Healthy and Supportive Communities
15
Purpose of Research
• Describe and compare two ad-hoc
models of community-university
partnership
• Explain the context in which these
models evolved
• Reflect on strengths, potential
improvements and unexpected
outcomes
• Share learnings
Building Healthy and Supportive Communities
Proposed Methodology
• Document review, key informant
interviews and focus groups
• Twenty research participants due to
limited resources
• Three categories of research
participants
- partnership sponsors
- students
- - civil society food stakeholders
Building Healthy and Supportive Communities
Discussion/ Questions
http://chd.region.waterloo.on.ca/en/researchR
esourcesPublications/reportsdata.asp#FOOD
(Public Health Food reports)
www.wrfoodsystem.ca (Waterloo Region Food
System Roundtable)
Dr. Steffanie Scott: 519-888-4567 x 37012
Sdscott@uwaterloo.ca
Katherine Pigott: 519-883-2004 x 5415
Kpigott@regionofwaterloo.ca
Building Healthy and Supportive Communities