Finding Common Ground Webinar: Learning from the Ontario Tender Fruit Lab June 28, 2016-12:00 to 1:00pm Claire Buré MaRS Solutions Lab Brent Mansfield BC Food Systems Network Sustainable Food Systems Working Group
Webinar Logistics To make the webinar full screen, there s an expand screen button at the top of the screen. It s the third icon from the right on the grey bar. To ask a question for discussion after the presentations, click the Q&A button at the top of the screen and type your question there. If you have a technical issue, please let us know in the chat window on the left side of the screen. This webinar will be recorded. If you need to leave early, we ll have the recorded presentation, as well as the slide deck, available on the REFBC website. We ll email a link to those files as soon as they re ready.
Sustainable Food Systems Working Group Vision: Thriving sustainable, local food systems that steward land and water, providing healthy food for all British Columbians Goal: To foster healthy, resilient food systems in regions across the province, in ways that benefit communities, individuals, ecosystems, and local and provincial economies
Finding Common Ground Summit May 4 & 5, 2016 Summit Goals Deepen our shared understanding of what sustainable local food systems looks like in BC while building our capacity and intention to collectively work towards making it a reality. Co-develop tangible action plans that build on existing efforts and work towards shared outcomes that align with the BC Agrifood and Seafood Strategic Growth Plan and result in actions within the three areas of focus.
Finding Common Ground Summit May 4 & 5, 2016 At the two-day Summit, participants shared their knowledge and created action plans around three focus areas:
For links to the Finding Common Ground Summit report go to: www.refbc.com/news/turning- priorities-actions-strengthening-bc s- local-food-systems
Moving Towards Collective Action The SFSWG is committed to exploring how we can support and monitor advancing the action plans. Some examples include: Facilitate the bridging of relationships, sectors, partnerships and actors Convene and coordinate for collective action Mobilize resources, e.g. funding, research, and coordination
Moving Towards Collective Action To move toward advancing collective action around action plans we ll need to continue to explore new models for collaboration and food systems change Collective impact last webinar (April 21 Social innovation lab today s webinar
Finding Common Ground: Learning from the Ontario Tender Fruit Lab FOR: SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEM WORKING GROUP (SFSWG) AND THE REAL ESTATE FOUNDATION OF BC 28 JUNE 2016 Visit us at marsdd.com
FINDING COMMON GROUND WEBINAR Learning from the Ontario Tender Fruit Lab What is the Ontario Tender Fruit Lab? How did it work? What was the process? What did we learn? 27 June 2016
We are a Public and Social Innovation Lab that helps solve complex social challenges with stakeholders across society, helps governments modernize policies and services, and helps organizations build capacity for system change.
ONTARIO TENDER FRUIT LAB The history: How it started Healthy and sustainable food is essential for our future, for individuals, for society, and for our planet. How can we help our food systems make this transition? While many inspiring food innovations have occurred, over 90% of people still buy their food in large groceries. The need for an industry transformation approach was felt to achieve real systems change. Fruit seems to be a good place to start given its effects on health and sustainability, its role in helping people make healthy food choices, as well as the size and importance to the Ontario economy. While the demand for fresh fruit year-round is rapidly increasing, much of this new demand is being met by imports and competition on price is fierce. For a healthy, sustainable future we need a strong local fruit industry. But the Ontario tender fruit industry has difficulty surviving. THE ONTARIO TENDER FRUIT LAB How can we create a resilient tender fruit economy in Ontario, in a way that provides economic, environmental and social benefits?
TRANSITION OF FOOD SYSTEM Ontario Tender Fruit Lab Consumer demand for healthy food is growing 15-30% a year. This growing demand is completely being met through imports. Meanwhile thousands of jobs have been lost in the Ontario food sector over the last decade. Goals were to: 1. To bring about change in the food system 2. Beta test for Social Innovation Lab Guide MaRS Solutions Lab convened growers, processors, distributors, retailers, NGOs, foundations and government. We supported them to develop an innovation agenda for the sector.
THE SOCIAL INNOVATION LAB APPROACH Innovation in the tender fruit sector NEW WAYS TO UNDERSTAND PROBLEMS NEW SPACES FOR EXPERIMENTATION NEW WAYS TO SCALE PROMISING SOLUTIONS We need to understand a complex problem from new perspectives using design and systems thinking. We need a neutral but committed convener for diverse stakeholders, and create space to develop new solutions collaboratively. We need to support innovation as a process that drives towards evidence and scale.
THE SOCIAL INNOVATION LAB APPROACH Building an Innovation Agenda Define the challenge Develop a common change strategy Design interventions Prototype interventions and plan for action
ONTARIO TENDER FRUIT LAB Creating an agenda for change Types of Innovation: 1. Policy Improve collaboration with government, to effect policy not just in government, but also through entrepreneurship & consumer education 2. Product Opportunity to create new markets, such as through new varieties such as white peaches or pluots, or for organic fruit 3. Process Improving efficiencies in process (eg. storage and handling) for such a quicklydepreciating fruit is critical: need to innovate across the whole value network
ONTARIO TENDER FRUIT LAB Phase I: Research Over 70 stakeholders & experts interviewed: Desk & Data Research Examples of Barriers: Fruit Production Cost of production (high labour cost) Time required to develop new varieties (10-15 years) Distribution and processing Small processors have difficulty scaling Access to/ lack of capital investment Retail Consistency of fruit quality differs Consumer expectations are difficult to maintain Design Brief: Published on MaRS Solutions Lab website here
ONTARIO TENDER FRUIT LAB Phase II: Convening Convening stakeholders to develop a common change strategy and new solutions in 3 workshops. 38 lab participants: Growers Processors Distributors Retailers Academics in agriculture Innovators NGOs Provincial and local government Workshop 1: Seeing the System Workshop 2: Designing Interventions Workshop 3: Prototyping & Action Planning Convening question: How can we create a resilient tender fruit economy in Ontario, in a way that provides economic, environmental and social benefits?
Issues Mapping
ONTARIO TENDER FRUIT LAB Phase III: Action The first change interventions are being implemented: A new standardized fruit basket that is eco-friendly A new marketing campaign on so-called inglorious fruit and vegetables A new program on cold-storage chain management Redesigning the process for introducing new varieties on the market New varieties tree-planting scheme for 130,000 tender fruit trees Final Report: Published on MaRS Solutions Lab website here
ONTARIO TENDER FRUIT LAB What did we learn? Scoping the challenge: It takes time and effort to scope the problem at the right level Timing: A lab must accommodate the timing of convening to participants Partners: We needed to first build key partners in the sector in order to convince others to participate Participants: Despite having great participation, can never have everyone in the room Agenda: Everyone has an agenda. Be ready to acknowledge it, so you can create from where there IS alignment. Focus: Don t place too much focus on research over action. Take the time to support and learn from action. Network building: The value of new connections and gained trust between key industry players, stakeholders and foundations cannot be underestimated. Influence: Simply participating in a new process can influence strategy of participating organizations.
Claire Buré Program Manager, MaRS Solutions Lab cbure@marsdd.com @ClaireBure Visit us at marsdd.com
THE SOCIAL INNOVATION LAB APPROACH A staged process for innovation H R I T M Hypothesis Research Ideation Test Market
Periodic Table of Systems Change H R I T M Hypothesis Research Ideation Test Market So UDEVELOPING Co NEW SOLUTIONS PR SC Solutions Understand Co-create Prototype Scale Po F V CHANGING POLICY Ev PC Policy Frame Vision Evidence Policy Change CA ST I EA BUILDING CAPACITY EM Capacity Stakeholder Innovator Early Adopter Early Majority 27 June 2016