Call for Proposals & Proposal Submission Form

Around the world people are growing food in cities! From August 15 to 18, theUrban Agriculture Summit2012 in Toronto will bring together the people who are making it happen: design professionals, community groups, social housing advocates, developers, educators, planners, homeowners and tenants, urban growers and others - to share what is working, and to discover what is possible. Participants will explore urban agriculture's current role and future potential in 21stcentury city-building.

The Summit will be action oriented and will highlight exceptional projects and case studies, with practical information and training. Summit programming will include a lively combination of workshops, plenaries and panels, tours, design charrettes, and professional development opportunities.

What we are looking for:

We would like to see proposals for sessions that are practical and dynamic – the focus is on interaction and training. The attendees should learn new ways to advance urban agriculture in their own communities.

We encourage sessions thatfeature best practices in urban food production as well as innovative policies that support urban agriculture from around North America and beyond. We are aiming to engage diverse communities and provide opportunities for knowledge exchange across sectors and to draw on local and international expertise and practical experience.

Types of Proposals:

We are inviting proposal submissions for three main types of contributions to the Urban Agriculture Summit.

Focused Sessions

These sessions will be 90 minutes long, with a lively presentation - by an individual or panel – combined with substantial interaction with participants. Training and hands-on demonstrations of innovative practices are also welcome. While we are seeking primarily proposals for entire 90-minute sessions, proposals for individual presentations (of about 20 minutes) can also be submitted; if accepted, the programming committee would cluster these proposals with other related ones into coherent 90-minute sessions.

Suggested topics are indicated in the submission form found on the Summit’s website. The sessions can feature, among other, the following:

Exceptional projects (existing or proposed) that include urban agriculture
Case studies incorporating urban agriculture
Innovative urban agriculture policies (existing or proposed)
Innovative urban agricultural practices
Particular tools for studying or supporting urban agriculture.

We encourage these sessions to bring together people from different perspectives involved in a single project (e.g., designer, client, landlord…), or people involved in 2-3 different cases that share some common issues (such as zoning for urban agriculture).

Field workshops and tours

This category is limited to Toronto-area projects that offer broader lessons on issues related to urban agriculture. We are looking for proposals for tours that can be approached as sessions similar to the presentations or special training workshops, but are provided “in the field”. Field workshops could integrate hands-on learning. Both longer (full-day) field visits and shorter (half-day) ones will be considered.

Special skills/training workshops

We are encouraging the submission of proposals for longer workshops that go into greater depth into certain skills or issues, or provide advanced professional training. These special workshops are expected to run over half a day (double sessions that run all day are possible too).

These sessions could be offered by one or more expert in a particular field, and can be sponsored by appropriate organizations, upon approval by the programming committee. Some of these special workshops may receive accreditation through Ryerson University and/or through professional organizations.

For any proposed workshop, associated fees (if any) must be specified on the Proposal Submission Form.

Additional ideas:

We welcome proposals that offer different formats than the types listed above, especially if they feature creative ways to share information, such as a TED talk, design charrette, or consultation.

A “discovery space” is currently being planned, to accommodate other ideas that may not fit into the session categories mentioned above. This would be open to materials in a variety of media: posters, videos, slide shows, art works, design pieces, constructed components… Look for a future announcement about this opportunity on the Summit’s website.

If you have an idea for a relevant topic or case and you are not sure if it fits with programming priorities or if you do not feel it is sufficient for a proposal, don’t hesitate to write to the programming committee at . We will explore with you options for you to contribute to the Summit.

Submission process:

All proposals are due by Monday, April 2, 2012.

Please send the completed application to: .

Proposals will be evaluated by members of the Summit’s programming committee, with support ofan advisory committee composed of diverse practitioners or researchers. The evaluation will consider whether the submission features best practices, displays innovation, presents new information, provides practical learning opportunities, or offers a chance for an exchange across sectors.

A response to all proposals will be provided to the lead on each proposal by Monday, April 30, 2012.

Additional information:

Please submit any additional suggestions or questions about the Summit’s program to . For any other information related to the Summit, please write to . Check regularly the Summit’s website – – for updates on the Summit.

Terms and Conditions:

To present at the Urban Agriculture Summit, the following terms and conditions must be met:

Accepted speakers will receive a 50% discount on the delegate registration fee ($295) and priority access to affordable accommodations at Ryerson University. Speakers are responsible for their own travel and accommodation expenses.
Accepted speakers are encouraged to submit a paper regarding theirpresentation (up to 10 pages).
Summit partners reserve the right to publish all presentationmaterials in electronic and hard copy formats, with credit. Thiswaiver does not apply to workshop and training materials.

Proposal Submission Form:

Section A) must be filled out for all applicants. Fields marked with a * are mandatory.

A)GENERAL INFORMATION

*Primary Presenter (Lead Contact)

Name:
Title:
Organization:
Address:
City:
Province/State:
Country:
Phone:
Fax:
Email: / (this will be the primary means of communication, please check regularly)
Biography :
(50 word max)

AdditionalPresenters

Name:
Title:
Organization:
Address:
City:
Province/State:
Country:
Phone:
Email:
Biography :
(50 word max)
Name:
Title:
Organization:
Address:
City:
Province/State:
Country:
Phone:
Email:
Biography :
(50 word max)

*For the 2012 Urban Agriculture Summit, I am submitting a:

Focused session

Full 90-minute session

Presentation as part of a 90-minute panel to be assembled by the programming committee

Field Workshop or Tour

Special Skills/Training Workshop

*Title of Presentation:
(9 word MAXIMUM)
Organization Sponsoring Session
(only if applicable)
*Summary description for Evaluation
(150 word MAXIMUM, please do not submit full papers)
*Topic Area
(may check more than one) / Food Security, Food Sovereignty and City-building
Planning and Design
New Technology
Supportive Programs, Policies and Governance Models
Best Management Practices
Financing and Marketing
Community Development and Housing
Other
If other, please specific______
*Audience Skill Levels / Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
*Audience Learning Objectives
(Please identify the main learning objectives of your presentation)
Keywords (up to 5)
Special requirements - e.g Audio/Video, room requirements, tools and materials… (if any)

B)FIELD WORKSHOP OR TOUR

If you are submitting a FIELD WORKSHOP OR TOUR, this section must be filled out:

Expected duration for the tour
General structure for the tour, including a timeline, with information guides / i.e. First Stop will be XYZ Gardens, duration 20minutes, led by Anne Gardener
Second Stop will be 123 Park, duration 15minutes, led by Joe Architect.
Specify (if any) associated fees to run the field workshop/tour

C)SPECIAL SKILLS/TRAINING WORKSHOPS

If you are submitting a SPECIAL SKILLS/TRAINING WORKSHOP this section must be filled out:

General structure for the workshop (rough timeline)
Existing experience or precedent on which the special workshop would build
Specify (if any) associated fees to run the workshop