Université Laval
Chaire de recherche en droit sur la
diversité et la sécurité alimentaires

Events

Symposiums & Workshops

In this section, you'll find the symposiums and seminars organized by the DDSA Chair.

International Symposium “Agriculture, Biodiversity and Food Security: From Commitments to Actions” (2024)

In December 2022, during the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted. Its implementation will require involvement from all economic sectors, particularly agriculture and food.

In this context, the International Symposium "Agriculture, Biodiversity, and Food Security: From Commitments to Actions", scheduled to be held in Quebec from April 30 to May 2, 2024, aims to highlight agriculture as a source of solutions to biodiversity challenges. It seeks to promote and facilitate collective engagement among agricultural stakeholders towards the implementation of this global framework. This event is co-organized by Laval University, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie (MRIF) of the Government of Quebec.

In anticipation of the international symposium, the FAO's Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum) launched a call for contributions from February 6 to March 23, 2024, titled "Call for experiences, best practices and scalable solutions for the integration of biodiversity into agriculture". Contributions from experts, including those from the DDSA Chair, will feed into discussions during the international symposium and facilitate the development of technical recommendations to support the agricultural sector's commitment to achieving relevant goals.

To view the collection of received contributions:

Symposium of the DDSA Chair/IICA: "Agriculture as a Driver of Change in the Transition to Sustainable Food Systems" (2022)

Presentation

On Tuesday, November 8, 2022, the Symposium "Agriculture as a Driver of Change in the Transition to Sustainable Food Systems" was held at Laval University in Quebec City.

Climate change, biodiversity loss, conflicts such as the one in Ukraine, and the COVID-19 pandemic compel us to rethink the resilience and sustainability of our food systems. With the upcoming COP-27 (Egypt in November) and COP-15 (Montreal in December), it is timely to consider agriculture as a catalyst for transitioning food systems towards greater sustainability.

This event marked the first organized under the cooperation agreement between Laval University and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). The symposium aimed to facilitate the exchange of scientific and experiential knowledge among food system stakeholders across the Americas and the Caribbean. Co-organized by the Legal Research Chair in Food Diversity and Security (DDSA Chair) and IICA, the gathering also celebrated the 50th anniversary of IICA's representation in Canada and the 80th anniversary of IICA in Costa Rica.

Program

To consult the program, here.

Speaker presentation

  • Geneviève Parent, professeure titulaire, Chaire de recherche en droit sur la diversité et la sécurité alimentaires, Université Laval : La transition des systèmes alimentaires : entre crise et momentum.
  • Yves Laurencelle, UPA Capitale Nationale Côte Nord : Le projet systèmes alimentaire territorialisé de la grande région de -SAT-Québec.
  • Gillian Flies, IICA Leader for rurality, Canadian food producer and regenerative agriculture advocate : (à venir)
  • Jiménez Molina, gestionnaire en Innovation, Renforcement Socioentrepreneurial et Entrepreneuriat Féminin, Fédération Québec Nationale des Producteurs de Cacao, Colombie : (à venir)
  • Gillian Flies, IICA Leader for rurality, Canadian food producer and regenerative agriculture advocate : (à venir)
  • Loya D. Tamini, professeur titulaire, directeur du Centre de recherche en économie de l’environnement de l’agroalimentaire, des transports et de l’énergie, Université Laval : Les impacts des crises de la COVID-19 et de la guerre en Ukraine sur le commerce agricole.
  • Jean-Charles Le Vallée, représentant IICA au Canada : Les systèmes alimentaires durables : indicateurs, performance, résilience.
  • Charlaine Bouchard, professeure titulaire, Chaire de recherche sur les contrats intelligents et la chaîne de blocs, Université Laval : Les nouvelles technologies au profit des systèmes alimentaires durables : Enjeux et défis de la chaine de bloc.
  • Lloyd Day, Deputy Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) : Les 80 ans de l'IICA.
  • Françis Blouin, Julie-Ann Blouin et Sophie Blouin, Fédération de la relève agricole du Québec : Les défis et opportunités pour la relève agricole.
  • Silvia Castellano et Carlos Ruiz, Spécialistes/techniciens du programme d'IICA pour la jeunesse et l'équité entre les sexes : (à venir).

Event partners

3rd edition of the annual Canadian Food Law and Policy Conference : "Innovations in agrifood law" (2018)

Presentation

The 3rd Canadian conference on food law and policy was held from September 25 to 27 in Quebec city. The theme for this year was Innovations in agri-food law.

Discussions surrounding new Canadian and Quebec food laws and policies not only focus on the importance of healthy, nutritious and safe food for all Canadians, but also the impact of individual and collective choices in this area on health, environment and the economy. These policies, which are currently being developed, will provide a new framework for Canadians to think about food security and will necessarily underpin important legislative changes.

In this context, it is most relevant to question the roles that agrifood law can and must play. Also, the 3rd edition of the Conference on Canadian Food Law and Public Policy, to be held at Laval University between September 25 and 27, 2018, has the main objective of presenting and discussing Canadian law as a source of social innovation, changes in agribusiness and more broadly in food diversity and food security. The challenges are many and important: noncommunicable diseases, food fraud the safety of food entering our territory, climate change, food security among indigenous people, etc. Addressing these challenges through policy and law requires creativity, while at the same time we have to deal with the framework of Canadian commitments on the international scene, including liberalization of agricultural and food trade and standardization.

Program

To consult the program, click here.

Presentations of speakers

Studentsʼ posters

Raphaëlle Bach : Vers une alimentation  territorialisée durable, une recherche participative pour comprendre le système alimentaire de Québec.

Jessica Cytryn : Legal protection for Canadian origin-specific products: The case of ‘Quebec ice cider’.

Amy Hétu : Social media: a jungle of junk food adds targeted to children and teens. 

Morgane Leclercq : La sécurité semencière au Burkina Faso et au Sénégal, une recherche empirique.

Proceedings of the colloquium

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos

Partners

Workshop "Food Democracy: What is the scope of a sustainable right to food?" (2017-2018)

Doctoral seminar "DémocrAlim" on the occasion of the French-speaking seminar "Towards a food democracy: what is the scope of a sustainable right to food?"

Under the direction of Dominique Paturel (UMR Innovation, UNESCO Chair in World Food Systems), Patrice Ndiaye (Institut Montpellier Management, Centre de recherches et d'études administratives de Montpellier) and Geneviève Parent (Faculty of Law, Laval University, Quebec (Canada), Legal Research Chair in Food Diversity and Food Security).

22-23 November 2017, 14-15 March and 16-17 May 2018 at the Institut Montpellier Management, La Maison des Sciences de l'Homme de Montpellier, Inra Montpellier.

On the occasion of the French-speaking seminar on the theme of the right to sustainable food as an element of a food democracy, which will take place in Montpellier in November 2017, March 2018 and May 2018, the seminar organizers propose to organize a doctoral seminar and to grant a scholarship to cover the costs of missions.

The seminar is part of the program of the French-speaking seminar "Towards a food democracy: the right to sustainable food". The program of the seminar envisages three doctoral sessions. The first session in November 2017 will be an opportunity for doctoral students to present and discuss their research. The second session scheduled for 

March 2018 will entrust the doctoral students with the organization of a round table and during the third and final session in May 2018, the doctoral students will propose a synthesis of the seminar.

Based on the concept of food democracy defined by Tim Lang (1999), the question of developing a sustainable right to food based on research in law (environmental, international, agri-food ...) but also in the humanities (sociology, political science, geography, management science ...). In the attention given to families with small budgets and to precarious individuals, the issue of access is of primary importance and is part of a broader reflection on new social rights (Fraser, 1998).

Which sources? "Hard" law; "so|" law, regulation or law; recommendations, guidelines? What content? Right to food security, right to health, right to justice, right to citizenship? What scope? Peremptory law, objective of public policies ...

Document

International Symposium on Food Security and Nutrition in the Age of Climate Change (2017)

In September 2017, Geneviève Parent, holder of the DDSA Chair, has chaired the Scientific Committee of the International Symposium on Food Security and Nutrition in a Changing Climate organized jointly by the FAO and the Ministère des relations internationales et de la Francophonie of Québec. The videos of the symposium are online and available at the following address: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3VbFYYm8_nvSyQKki9lT4anknnU0Spil (french only).

The International Symposium was in line with the major orientations of Quebec's international policy, through its contribution to a more sustainable, equitable and secure world. The Government of Québec will continue its efforts as a committed player in the fight against climate change, with this growing interest in issues related to food security and nutrition.

It is with great pride that the publication of the Proceedings of this Colloquium was officially launched on Thursday, October 18, 2018 on the sidelines of an event organized within the framework of the Committee on World Food Security. This book, which is the result of a lengthy process of synthesizing the presentations and analyzing the interactive workshops, will be available on the official Colloquium page at the following link: http://www.mrif.gouv.qc.ca/en/salle-de-presse/evenements-speciaux/Colloque-san. Ms. Parent is also co-editor.

Proceedings of the colloquium

2nd International Symposium of the DDSA Chair : "Food: Between Territory and Health" (2016)

Problematic

The dialogue between science and food and nutrition is traditionally marked by compartmentalized thinking. However, these reflections carried out in silos such as "food-health", "food-territory" and "health-territory" would benefit from being pooled and confronted. The concept of food security (established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1996), that of sustainable food (FAO, 2010), then that of food and nutritional security (FAO, 2012), invites us to do so by being cross-cutting and by including the cultural, social and 

environmental dimensions of food, while emphasizing the importance of promoting and protecting diversity in food, from seeds to production methods.

In a context where all the texts, guidelines and other documents from di{erent international organizations (FAO, WHO, etc.), including recent developments in the area of the right to food, advocate the need to build territorialized food systems for better food and nutritional security, this pooling of thoughts is not only necessary, but essential. These recent international developments invite us to adopt a more systemic and sustainable vision of food, less medicalized and less oriented towards purely economic considerations. This 2nd international conference of the Research Chair in Law on Food Diversity and Food Security (DDSA Chair) is co-organized with Alliance santé Québec and is intended to be an opportunity to reflect in a coherent manner on the di{erent relationships between food and territory with respect to a holistic conception of health and well-being.

Objectives

  • To continue the reflection on territorialized food systems initiated at the 1st symposium of the DDSA Chair in 2015;
  • To provide a transversal and coherent vision of food and nutrition that decompartmentalizes the sectors of agriculture, agri-food, health and occupation of the territory in a perspective of sustainable health;
  • Rethink the articulation between the prevention of nutritional diseases and the promotion of sustainable and territorialized agriculture and food;
  • To present and discuss the challenges posed by the construction of territorialized food systems;
  • Strengthen and share knowledge between actors (civil society, companies, researchers, associations, municipalities and governments, producers, distributors, processors, population);
  • Pursue the development of France-Quebec-Latin America-Caribbean cooperation in terms of food diversity and territorialized food systems;

Topics on the agenda include

  • To continue the reflection on territorialized food systems initiated at the 1st symposium of the DDSA Chair in 2015;
  • Influencing factors for sustainable diet and health;
  • Overall nutritional quality;
  • Collective food service;
  • The link between agriculture and healthy, sustainable and territorialized food;
  • The difficult adaptation of international food standards to territories;
  • Avenues for change : The Potential of Cities and Municipalities.

Program

To consult the program, click here.

Presentations of speakers

Photos

Voir l’album complet

Partners

communaute-metropolitaine-quebecAgence_universitaire_de_la_francophonie dd_logo_ecoresponsableRegion_Bretagne

Workshop "Conservation and Development of Ancestral/Indigenous Plant Genetic Resources: Challenges, Tools and Perspectives. Sharing the Canadian, Mexican and American Experiences" (2016)

The overall objective was to bring together key stakeholders from the United States of America, Mexico and Canada, including indigenous people, involved in conservation and utilization of diversity in crops plants with particular emphasis on crops relevant for indigenous agriculture. The participants including individuals from governmental and non-governmental organizations, from universities and seed savers were expected to share information and to elaborate the complementarity of each other’s activities to the benefit of food security, economic and ecological resilience.

 

 

 

 

Program

To consult the program, click here.

Presentations :

Documents :

Summary report | Final report

International Symposium "The Territorialized Agri-Food Systems : Source of Diversity and Tool for Integration and Competitiveness" (2015)

Presentation

Co-organized by the DDSA Chair and the UNESCO Chair in World Food Systems

The concept of Territorialized Agri-Food Systems (TAS) emerged in the last few years in France. It now forms a strong matrix to work towards food systems that are more respectful of cultural and biological diversity in order to fulfill the several components of food security while getting along with the globalized consumption system. This new concept stresses the importance of the optimization of the local integration systems. While taking an historical perspective, we suggest that globalization fragments the systems by increasing the division of work and widening distances between the production site of inputs of all nature and the fabrication site of finished goods, but also between the production site and the consumption of these products. The TAS are more established on networks of local agriculture businesses, agri-food businesses and services using local resources and taking into account the criteria of sustainable development. These two types of systems serve di{erent stakeholders and may certainly coexist. Even if there is a lot of initiatives emerging in the Americas that are clearly part of the TAS, this concept is not well known and recognized and it seems interesting to analyze this concept that reflects di{erent perspectives. A territorialized di{erentiation strategy may also be a tool for food diversity and competitiveness in a context of globalized market.

Therefore, it is necessary to consider other economic and legal tools that can be used to promote the TAS in order to contribute to food diversity.

Symposium Objectives

  • To present and debate on the TAS concept with American continent perspective;
  • To present and debate on economic and legal tools promoting TAS in order to contribute to food diversity and to the development of TAS;
  • To strengthen the knowledge, sharing the expertise between stakeholders (civil society, businesses, researchers, associative movement, municipalities, governments, producers, distributors and food processors);
  • To develop inter-American cooperation in the Americas and between Europe and the Americas regarding TAS.

Program

To consult the program, click here.

Presentations of speakers

Proceedings of the colloquium

programme 

Québec Declaration: ENG FR ESP 

Photos