One Health Seminar Series: Braiding Food Systems Project for Food Security and Food Sovereignty

Dr. Silvia Sarapura-Escobar, associate professor in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, will be presenting the next One Health Seminar on Braiding Food Systems Project for Food Security and Food Sovereignty

The Braiding Food Systems Project is a three-year collaborative initiative with First Nations communities in Northern Ontario that integrates Indigenous and Western knowledge to strengthen food security and food sovereignty. It focuses on re-localizing seed systems, supporting community gardens, and introducing climate-adapted Indigenous seed varieties to enhance nutrition, health, and resilience in the face of climate change and colonial legacies. Through trust-building, community-led research, and participatory action, the project emphasizes respectful partnerships and sustainable, culturally grounded approaches to food systems development.

Silvia Sarapura-Escobar is an interdisciplinary scholar with experience in intersectional feminist research in agriculture and international development. Dr. Sarapura-Escobar is familiar with formal, non-formal and informal teaching in diverse contexts and has extensively worked in agricultural and food research programming in the Global South including South East Asia, Africa and Latin America. The focus of Dr. Sarapura-Escobar’s work has been in the areas of food security, sustainable development, people centered development and gender programming as well as building evidence for policy influence and North-South partnerships.

You can view the One Health seminar series web page to keep an eye out for future seminars or view their past events.