Roderick J. MacRae | EUC | York University

Associate Professor

Credentials

PhD Agriculture, McGill University
MSc Agriculture, McGill University
BA History, Acadia University

Research Keywords

Canadian Joined-Up Food Policy; Regulatory Frameworks For Pesticide & GE Crops; Demand - Supply Management In The Food System; Strategies To Localize The Food & Agriculture System; Farm Environmental Goods & Services Payments.

Contact Information

4700 Keele Street
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3

416 736 2100

rmacrae@yorku.ca

http://foodpolicyforcanada.info.yorku.ca/

Research Interests

My research focuses on creating a national food policy for Canada, and the set of coherent and comprehensive programs required to support such a policy. The courses I teach identity the problems of the food and agriculture system, its vulnerabilities, where change is possible in the short, medium and long term, and the strategies that could bring about effective change. The graduate students I work with explore from inter-disciplinary perspectives viable solutions to pressing environmental and social problems.

Research Projects

See http://foodpolicyforcanada.info.yorku.ca for more information.
OMAFRA KTT Grants - Project 1 on 'Nourishing Ontario': Community Food Project/Hub toolkit webiste, typology development and information dissemination; Project 2 on Deploying community -based food project knowledge across Ontario: The knowledge dissemination tree (Advisor, co-leads Alison Blay-Palmer and Karen Landman), 2012-2013.
SSHRC Partnership Development Grant, Regional Food Hubs (Advisor, co-leads Alison Blay-Palmer and Karen Landman), 2012-2013.
SSHRC Public Outreach Grant, Regional Food Hubs (Advisor, co-leads Alison Blay-Palmer and Karen Landman), 2011-2012.
OMAFRA New Directions Project on Regional Food Hubs (Collaborators, co-leads Alison Blay-Palmer and Karen Landman), 2011-2012.

Research Output

Martin, R.C. and R. MacRae (eds.). 2014. Managing Energy, Nutrients and Pests in Organic Field Crops. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

MacRae, R.J. and E. Abergel (eds.). 2012. Health and sustainability in the Canadian food system: Advocacy and opportunity for civil society. Vancouver: UBC Press.

MacRae, R. and Abergel, E. 2016. Food Policy in Canada. Reference Module in Food Science. Elsevier.

MacRae, R.J., D. Lynch and R.C. Martin. 2014, Will more organic food and farming solve food system problems? Part I: Environment. In: R.C. Martin and Rod MacRae (eds.). Managing Energy, Nutrients and Pests in Organic Field Crops. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL pp. 307-331.

MacRae, R.J., D. Lynch and R.C. Martin. 2014. Will more organic food and farming solve food system problems? Part II: Consumer, Economic and Community Issues. In: R.C. Martin and Rod MacRae (eds.). Managing Energy, Nutrients and Pests in Organic Field Crops. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. Pp. 333-362.

MacRae, R. 2012 (revised edition 2016). Food policy for the 21st century. In: M. Koc, J. Sumner and T. Winson. (eds). Critical Perspectives in Food Studies. Oxford University Press, Don Mills, ON. Pp. 310-323.

MacRae, R.J., A. Siu, M. Kohn, D. McCallum, M. Matsubuchi-Shaw, T. Hernandez Cervantes and Danielle Perreault. 2016. Doing better with what we’ve got: strategies to reduce food and resource waste in the Canadian food system. Canadian Food Studies 3(2):145-215.

Ghaffari, A., M. Bunch, R. MacRae, and J. Zhao. 2015. Socio-economic support optimization for transition from conventional to organic farming using a spatiotemporal Agent-based Model. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies 8(3-4): 13-25.

MacRae, R.J. 2014. Do trade agreements substantially limit development of local / sustainable food systems in Canada? Canadian Food Studies 1(1):103-125.

McCallum, D., A.M. Campbell and R.J. MacRae. 2014. Can large retailers localize supply chains? A case analysis of the challenges facing one Canadian retailer. Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development 4(2):163-176.

Courses

On sabbatical 2020-21

Course Code	Title
ENVS1011	Introduction to Sustainable Food Systems
ENVS4011	Food, Land and Culture
ENVS6172	Food Policy Development in Canada