Written by guest blogger Denise Deby, who has worked in international and community development, and is currently trying to figure out how to connect the local with the global in her everyday life.
“Who wouldn’t want to pick up a chicken?”
That’s a line from a trailer for Mad City Chickens, a movie by Tarazod Films about raising chickens in cities. Mad City Chickens will be screened on Wednesday, October 14 at 7:00 p.m. at Saint Paul’s University Auditorium, 223 Main Street, as part of the Reel Food Film Festival. Admission is free, or $5 suggested donation.
Following the film, the organization Just Food will hold a discussion about the possibility of raising chickens and other livestock in urban Ottawa. This will inform Just Food’s “Food Secure Ottawa,” a project intended to come up with recommendations for municipal policies to improve access to foods in Ottawa.
Judging from its trailers, Mad City Chickens was created by somebody with a sense of humour, but it also looks like it will be a thought-provoking examination of this aspect of producing organic and local food.
There are lots of other links out there on urban farming locally and globally, such as:
- Just Food’s page on community gardening in Ottawa;
- City Farmer, a Vancouver-based source of information on urban agriculture;
- RUAF, resources on urban agriculture world-wide.
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Another opportunity to see a film and participate in a discussion on food issues is on Friday, October 16, when USC Canada will be holding a Forum called “What’s On Your Plate?” as part of World Food Day. The event will feature a screening of The Story of Food, an animated short film, and a presentation by Wayne Roberts, author of the No-Nonsense Guide to World Food. Reception starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Library and Archives Canada Auditorium at 395 Wellington, with film at 7:30 p.m.
For yet more films showing locally on global environmental issues, check out the upcoming One World Film Festival (October 15, 23, 29 and 30).
Green Living Ottawa 
This is great – my boss lived in Mechanicsville and had three egg laying hens. When he had extras he would ask around at work if people wanted a half a dozen or so – I loved the idea that they were THAT local. He named the hens after his (and his partner’s) grandmothers! In the end there was a complaint from a neighbour – he’s been hen-less for two years now – such a shame!