FOOD HUB COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE YEAR ONE REVIEW Exploring the Roles of Food Hubs in BC is a BC-based case study, embedded within a larger North American-wide study, Resilience and Alternative Food Networks. What is a food hub? What role do food hubs play? The BC Food Hub Study aims to answer the question: How do Food Hubs contribute to the resilience of regional food systems? How is the COP evolving? One of the project's objectives is to map the evolving structure and function of the Food Hub Community of Practice. COP ATTENDANCE & ENGAGEMENT COP Attendance by Month and Organization Type 49 Funded Hub 15 10 5 41 20 23 20 23 Fe br ua ry Ap ril 20 23 M ay 20 23 Ju ne 20 Se pt 23 em be r2 02 Oc 3 to be r2 No 02 ve 3 m be r2 02 Ja 3 nu ar y2 02 Fe 4 br ua ry 20 24 0 15 10 Non-funded Hub 20 M ar ch YEAR ZERO - 2023 Support/Government 25 # of Groups Total organizations invited to participate COP Attendance by Geography YEAR ONE - 2024 Unfunded Funded 10 6 4 2 bi aB m lu Co BC ay s as in Ce n er rth No & nt ra lI Ko o te n nt er un da Bo In te r io r& M So ut he r n Lo we r io r ry d nl an ai Co So ut h Gu & Is. ve r co u Va n Outer: Minimal attendance and YEAR ONE engagement as t Is. 0 lf Middle: Semi-regular attendance with passive participation 8 # of Groups Core: Regular attendance and active participation Engagement by Organization Type 4.9% COMMERICIAL SINGLE PURPOSE Engagement By Hub Development Stage Outer: Minimal 51.2% 7.3% attendance and 29.3% MIXED MODEL 6.7% 20% 36.6% 40% 40% Middle: Semi-regular 20% IN DEVELOPMENT 4.9% engagement 13.3% 13.3% EARLY GROWTH 6.7% 10% GROWTH 22% 40% 20% passive participation 20% INITIATION 13.3% 10% 6.7% attendance with OTHER FOOD LAUNCH 7.3% SUSTAINING 20% 26.7% 13.3% 46.7% 6.7% Core: Regular OTHER 14.6% NOT APPLICABLE attendance and active 4.9% participation Emerging Themes Missing Northern British Columbia What is a Food Hub? Broad range of organizations​ Evolving based on place and sub-sector UNKNOWN Not very useful Somewhat useful Not very useful Topic of presentation Geographic (in)Equity​ 4.9% How useful was today’s meeting, in relation to where you are at in developing or running your food hub? Influences on Participation:​ Organizational values Organizational capacity Tensions Internal: values versus financials ​ External: funding priorities versus community needs Working with Indigenous Partners 38% Aggregation & distribution 27% 67% 62% 18% 63% 55% 55% SSFPA resource website 7% 40% Food Hub sustainability 7% 40% Recruiting food entrepreneurs 14% Economic development 20% Grant opportunities and strategies 18% Introduction to COP 6% 53% 53% 50% Are relationships evolving between Food Hubs outside COP meetings? OUTSIDE THE COP External to Hubs Regulation and legislation​ Financial sustainability​ Funding​ Scale 36% 30% 27% 27% 25% 56% 5 # of respondents 56% 10 13% 13% 15 20 How does information flow? Vertical structure with collaborative space Internal to Hubs Organizational Values​ Place​ 53% 36% 55% Current COP Direction 53% 30% 50% 0 Financial Sustainability and Funding emerged as a recurring underlying topic. Quite useful Very useful 67% 33% Diversifying revenue streams Somewhat useful Quite useful Very useful In Year One, we observed the types of interactions that occur inside the COP. PRESENTERS PARTICIPANTS Year 1 explored the flows of information within the COP Political pressures and expectations​ Collaboration and competition In Year Two, we want to include the types of interactions Influences and Tensions Human capacity​ OPERATIONAL: STAGE UNKNOWN 12.2% 6.7% that occur outside of Have food hub operators strengthened previously existing relationships based on COP? ​ the COP. INSIDE THE COP Research Team Sarah-Patricia Breen, Selkirk College​ June 2024 Lindsay Harris, UBCO & Kamloops Food Policy Council​ Damon Chouinard, Central Kootenay Food Policy Council​ Caitlin Quist, Selkirk College