Thank you for your interest in this research project. Your time and help are truly appreciated. This document provides information on the research, what you can expect, how the data will be handled and used in the future. If anything is unclear or you want more information, please feel free to ask any question you wish. Our contact details are at the end of this information page.
This survey is intended to be completed on behalf of organizations that are involved in food systems governance. We are requesting that the individual filling in the survey is familiar with the operations of the organization and has some decision-making responsibility.
Please note, the information collected from the survey will not be anonymous, including your organization’s name and contact information. Our intention is to share these results back with respondents, our community partners, and use them to write reports and articles. Your participation is completely voluntary and you are only being asked to offer information you feel comfortable sharing with us.
This study aims to identify effective, innovative and collaborative approaches to food systems governance for building healthy, equitable, and sustainable food systems. Moreover, it aims to develop a deeper understanding of the possible trade-offs, limitations and paradoxes associated with civil society organizations’ active participation in multi-stakeholder and collaborative governance arrangements. With a focus at the national level in Canada, and in relation to similar efforts in Australia and the UK, the research team will critically analyze the social history, current context and future possibilities for building healthy, equitable and sustainable food systems. Phase I (Years 1-2) of this research will explore the evolution of food movement engagement in governance over the past 40 years. Phase II (Years 3-5) will build on these findings to identify and evaluate key strategies for developing new co-governance opportunities that empower and enable food movements to engage productively with government and other food systems decision makers.
The research is being conducted by researchers from Lakehead University, Carleton University and Saint Paul University in partnership with Food Secure Canada, Plenty Canada and Sustain Ontario: The Alliance for Healthy Food and Farming. This research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. While there are very few perceived risks from participating in this survey, we recognize that some questions could reveal sensitive information and you may not want certain details made available to others. Your participation is completely voluntary and you are only being asked to offer information you feel comfortable sharing with us. You can withdraw from the research at any time and you can decline to answer any of the questions asked without any negative consequences for yourself or your organization. If you choose to withdraw after your data has been included in a publication, only that data which has not already been published in the public domain will be removed from subsequent research. The final research results will be shared through a variety of methods including knowledge-sharing workshops and policy forums, as well as in academic publications and conference presentations. Summary pages can be requested by participants at any time by contacting the researchers directly (see below).