10:00am -12noon , Saturday, November 24
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Location: Peformance Works, 1218 Cartwright St., Granville Island

Working in the modern urban food stream requires vision and passion! That fabulous energy is driving much of today's innovation and creative start-up, food-related social enterprises these days. We are understanding more and more deeply that our food systems are in transition and need to shift. But how do we get there? And, where are we going?

In this forum we will explore the need for vision and passion and then quickly dig into the nuts and bolts (meat and potatoes?) that are needed to support those visions over the long-term and make them resilient and sustainable in this on-the-ground work.

We will explore questions such as: How do you access financing? How do you include the value of volunteering, land donations, trades, etc., into real cost measures? What challenges are unique to the business of food production? What tools and resources are available? Do you need a business plan? What is true costing? Policy, licensing and insuring are lagging behind the innovations -- how do you work with that? How do you get involved in the emerging food sector? Where are the opportunities for you? What are the trends? Where is the money being directed? Can we blend old economy food systems with new economy practices?