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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

Square Roots Food

    Description
    Description
    Square Roots aims to improve food security through the use of food waste through two revenue streams. Our Square Roots Bundle Service sources imperfect produce and sells it in 10 pound bundles at an affordable price in isolated and low-income communities. Our Square Roots Token Program sells $5 tokens which can be redeemed for a meal made from excess food ingredients at partnering restaurants.
    Expected Impact

    Square Roots Bundle Service operates using a hub and spoke model. Once a month, imperfect produce is sourced from local farms, brought to our university and sorted into 10 pound bundles by volunteers. These bundles are then distributed to our franchise managers in the communities to sell to customers in their area. Bundles are sold using a social pricing model- $10 for those who can afford it, $5 for those who can't. For people looking to give back to the community, $60 memberships can be purchased, where you receive a bundle each month for 3 months, while a bundle is given to a family in need each month. <br />
    The Square Roots Token Program has two target customers: those who purchase tokens for personal use, and those who purchase tokens in bulk for donation. Our distribution partners know who could benefit most from receiving a token, and therefore are responsible for putting the tokens in the hands of those who need them.

    Capacity

    In Summer 2018, our team will be replicating our initiative in Kingston, Jamaica. This will be facilitated through the Queen Elizabeth Scholars Program, through which two members of our Enactus Saint Mary's team will be living and working in Jamaica for four months. We have also implemented an online training platform for incoming franchise managers across Canada, and are in the process of developing an app to connect farmers with consumers so that no produce goes to waste.

    Partners
    Enactus Saint Mary's

    Goal 2

    End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

    Goal 2

    2.1

    By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round

    2.1.1

    Prevalence of undernourishment

    2.1.2

    Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)

    2.2

    By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons

    2.2.1

    Prevalence of stunting (height for age <-2 standard deviation from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age

    2.2.2

    Prevalence of malnutrition (weight for height >+2 or <-2 standard deviation from the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age, by type (wasting and overweight)

    2.2.3

    Prevalence of anaemia in women aged 15 to 49 years, by pregnancy status (percentage)

    2.3

    By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment
    2.3.1

    Volume of production per labour unit by classes of farming/pastoral/forestry enterprise size

    2.3.2

    Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status

    2.4

    By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality

    2.4.1

    Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture

    2.5

    By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed

    2.5.1

    Number of (a) plant and (b) animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities

    2.5.2

    Proportion of local breeds classified as being at risk of extinction

    2.a

    Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countries
    2.a.1

    The agriculture orientation index for government expenditures

    2.a.2

    Total official flows (official development assistance plus other official flows) to the agriculture sector

    2.b

    Correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, including through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, in accordance with the mandate of the Doha Development Round

    2.b.1

    Agricultural export subsidies

    2.c

    Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including on food reserves, in order to help limit extreme food price volatility

    2.c.1

    Indicator of food price anomalies

    Goal 12

    Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

    Goal 12

    12.1

    Implement the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries

    12.1.1

    Number of countries developing, adopting or implementing policy instruments aimed at supporting the shift to sustainable consumption and production

    12.2

    By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources

    12.2.1

    Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP

    12.2.2

    Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP

    12.3

    By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses

    12.3.1

    (a) Food loss index and (b) food waste index

    12.4

    By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment

    12.4.1
    Number of parties to international multilateral environmental agreements on hazardous waste, and other chemicals that meet their commitments and obligations in transmitting information as required by each relevant agreement
    12.4.2

    (a) Hazardous waste generated per capita; and (b) proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment

    12.5

    By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse

    12.5.1

    National recycling rate, tons of material recycled

    12.6

    Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle

    12.6.1
    Number of companies publishing sustainability reports

    12.7

    Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

    12.7.1

    Number of countries implementing sustainable public procurement policies and action plans

    12.8

    By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature

    12.8.1

    Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment

    12.a

    Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production

    12.a.1

    Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing and developed countries (in watts per capita)

    12.b

    Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products

    12.b.1

    Implementation of standard accounting tools to monitor the economic and environmental aspects of tourism sustainability

    12.c

    Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities

    12.c.1

    Amount of fossil-fuel subsidies (production and consumption) per unit of GDP

    Name Description
    Launch App
    Financing (in USD)
    3897
    No progress reports have been submitted. Please sign in and click here to submit one.
    False
    This initiative does not yet fulfil the SMART criteria.
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    Timeline
    01 November 2016 (start date)
    01 May 2019 (date of completion)
    Entity
    Enactus Saint Mary's
    SDGs
    Geographical coverage
    Halifax, NS, Canada
    More information
    Countries
    Canada
    Canada
    Contact Information

    Christine Ingham, Sustainable Development Coordinator