December 4, 14h00-15h30
Roundtable Discussion: “Setting the Table – Fact, Fiction and Foundations to Alleviate Hunger”
Dr. Don Buckingham and Mrs. Julia Sáez
Join in our roundtable discussion led by a celebrated professor of agriculture and food law and a current policy advisor working in international relief and development. They will explore the multifaceted nature of food insecurity around the world.
Dr. Buckingham and Mrs. Sáez will briefly review the current state of agricultural production and food distribution, expose myths surrounding food insecurity and examine strategies and policies designed to combat hunger.
By analyzing both historical and contemporary approaches, our discussion aims to open dialogue around providing a basic framework for developing sustainable plans to alleviate hunger nationally and globally.
Timestamp
0:00 Welcome and opening remarks – Ms. Darlene McLean
1:05 Who is the Christian Embassy of Canada?
1:53 Introduction of Mrs. Julia Sáez–Senior Policy Advisor, Canadian Foodgrains Bank
3:08 Introduction of Dr. Don Buckingham–Inductee, Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame
4:15 Presentation – Dr. Don Buckingham and Mrs. Julia Sáez
4:52 Peeling back the onion on food security: focus on food production, food security and food insecurity is multifaceted and complicated
6:18 Importance of worldview – starting from a posture of hope, humility and community
7:39 Agriculture in terms of four gardens – Garden of Eden, grandma’s garden, community garden, garden of seedlings
11:55 Overview of session: It’s complicated! – Is production the problem? – Is consumption the problem? – Food insecurity – Start simple!
13:40 Food production and its consequences: pace and pollution
13:57 World population timeline–how many people live in what space?
15:31 World population evolution
16:30 World food production: abundance?
20:26 But is feeding ourselves killing the planet?
22:19 Agriculture and food’s GHG footprint
23:34 Food consumption and its consequences: want and waste
23:55 World food consumption: scarcity?
24:03 Multiple challenges: conflict, economic disruptions, extreme weather, rising cost of living, wealth inequities and discrimination
24:55 People are still hungry: Hunger hotspots – the compounding effects of multiple challenges
25:42 Hunger levels are high – why are we seeing a reversal of trends?
26:22 Farmers are among the most vulnerable – smallholder farms in the developing world
27:49 The other problems: increasing waists (obesity) and waste – ⅓ of food being produced (1 trillion dollars) is wasted
30:42 Unpacking food insecurity: conflict, extreme weather, cost of living impacts
31:53 Are there solutions? – start simple – from despair to hope, one carrot at a time
32:15 It’s easy to get overwhelmed: individual action, science and tech action, local/national social and economic action, international social and economic action
33:45 Starting small – from your house to the ends of the earth
36:21 Getting techy – from your city to the ends of the earth
44:29 Walking the halls of power – from Ottawa to the ends of the earth – local/national social and economic action
46:43 Walking the halls of power – from Ottawa to the ends of the earth – international social and economic action
48:42 Grace-changer: For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…
49:04 Jesus does not invite us to a private banquet, but one served for all with grace, reconciliation, food and fellowship
49:39 Thank you and closing remarks – Mr. Denis St-Amour
52:29 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” – James 1:27
“Setting the Table” Powerpoint Presentation
Additional resources made available by Dr. Buckingham and Mrs. Sáez
The presentation “For the Love of Food: pondering Christmas, abundance and scarcity” may provide further insight and context.
Dr. Don Buckingham
Inductee, Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame
Don Buckingham is a life-long learner, professor, gardener, chef and expert on food and agriculture law. His farming roots are deep, having been raised on a beef and crop farm in northwestern Saskatchewan, and he still owns two cows. His professional pursuits have led to undergraduate degrees in arts and in law (Saskatchewan), a certificate in Culinary Skills (Algonquin) and graduate degrees in International Development Studies (Liège), International Agriculture Trade (Cambridge) and Food Labelling Law (Ottawa and Montpellier). For his pioneering work synthesizing, applying and teaching Canadian agricultural law, he was inducted in the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2021. He currently lives with his wife Janet in Switzerland, where many new food adventures abound. Read more
Mrs. Julia Sáez
Senior Policy Advisor, Canadian Foodgrains Bank
Julia Sáez (née Buckingham) is Senior Policy Advisor on Agriculture and Food Systems at Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a partnership of 15 Canadian churches and church-based agencies working together to end global hunger. She holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Food Systems from the American University of Rome and prior to her current role, advanced sustainability initiatives in Canada’s agriculture sector with the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and Dairy Farmers of Canada. Besides English, Julia also speaks French, Spanish and Italian and lives in Ottawa with her Venezuelan husband, with whom she loves to cook and eat.
The opinions expressed by the speakers and commentators at our events and posted on our website are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Christian Embassy.