Summary:
What is the focus of Canada’s agricultural project in the 21st century? In this talk, Katie Fettes and Jodi Koberinski PhD of Canadian Organic Growers will explore why we need to measure the success of our food system not only by how much we produce, but by its impact on people and the planet. We will provide an overview of the foundations of organic agriculture as an existing foundation to build on, including for regenerative approaches, and introduce COG’s new Agriculture and Health Task Force, which is bringing researchers, farmers and health experts together to strengthen the evidence connecting how we produce food with human health.
Biography:
Katie Fettes is passionate about restoring landscapes and ecosystems and building food-secure, resilient communities through soil regeneration. Previously, she was the Programs Manager at Land Core, a nonprofit organization advancing soil health in the United States through federal policy, soil health risk modelling research, and education. Katie also co-founded the Rainmaker Enterprise, a refugee-led organization installing solar-powered water systems for health, food security, and climate adaptation in South Sudan. She serves on the Boards of Rainmaker and the Canada Africa Partnership (CAP) Network, where she previously worked as a Network Coordinator and co-launched the Africa Climate Action Initiative, supporting civil society organizations in promoting agroecology as a climate solution. Katie holds an MA in Conflict, Security and Development from King’s College London and a BA in Peace, Conflict and Justice Studies from the University of Toronto, she also coordinates the Bikes for Climate Hub, distributing repaired bicycles under TransformTO’s neighbourhood climate action grant program in North Toronto.
Jodi Koberinski, PhD, is a settler-descended mother and grandmother living on the unceded homelands of Omàmiwinini – Anishinaabek in the St. Lawrence River watershed. Jodi joins COG’s Policy and Research Team following decades of entrepreneurship, advocacy, activism, and academia. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Jodi was a food processor and entrepreneur in the organic movement. In those years, Jodi was a founding member of the BC Small-Scale Food Processors’ Association, Food Secure Canada, BC Food Systems Network, and other initiatives supporting sustaining food systems. From 2009 – 2014, Jodi was the Executive Director at OCO (now Ontario Organic), after which Jodi shifted focus to researching and articulating the structural barriers for transitioning from industrial to agroecological food ways. Returning to University to undertake this work, Jodi completed a Masters’ degree looking at industrial pulses in Canada and then through a SSHRC funded PhD, Jodi worked closely with the Traditional Ecological Knowledge Elders to characterize and address impacts of herbicide use and clearcutting on Anishinaabek food ways. A lifelong volunteer, Jodi launched the Earth Education League in 2016 with a group of like-minded educators to deliver training at various cultural festivals and events promoting food literacy, agroecology, and related social skills.
This session is in two parts:
Speaker: Katie Fettes and Jodi Koberinski
Subject: Beyond Yield: An Agriculture and Health Framework for the 21st Century
Time: 26 Aug, 2026 at 13:30 EST
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