Local-regional food systems are increasingly the focus of community activism and local government planning in British Columbia (BC), Canada. At present, there is no provincial or federal government food system strategy to inform or guide local government policy efforts. To ascertain focal points of local government food system planning, we assessed current municipal Official Community Plans (OCPs) in BC and suggest areas for future policy development to enable regional food systems in the province. In BC, an OCP is the most comprehensive, high-level municipal planning document used to guide future management and land use decisions. We reviewed OCPs from 61

Frafra potato (Solenostemon rotundifolius) is an important food crop indigenous to Western Africa and a member of the Labiaceae (mint) family. It is nutrient-rich and drought tolerant; however, despite its potential as a food security crop, it has not received the research support needed to promote its widespread adoption and safeguard its diversity. As a result, Frafra potato is becoming extinct and restricted to indigenous communities where it holds traditional importance. It is imperative that conservation methods are explored, but before then, the genetic diversity of the species should be assessed. The objectives of this study were to develop simple sequence repeats (SSRs) for Frafra potato from de novo sequencing of the genome, and to provide a preliminary assessment of genetic diversity of Frafra potato in Ghana. To this end, 57 accessions of Frafra potato obtained from three geographic regions of Ghana were characterized using 15 discovered microsatellites. Forty-six multilocus genotypes (MLGs) were identified among the 57 accessions. The genetic diversity among the MLGs was moderate-to-high. Preliminary evaluation of accessions from the three collection zones indicated the presence of population structure among Frafra potato individuals collected in Ghana, Africa.

n less than a century, our food system has been transformed into a complex network of global-industrial supply chains, increasingly disconnecting us from the people and processes that provide our food. Such a 'market-driven' system externalizes many of its social, environmental, and economic costs. At the same time, it concentrates power and profits among a few stakeholders who maintain hegemonic control of the food systems, yet are often far removed from its negative impacts. The list of transgressions is long and familiar to us: extensive environmental degradation, unjust labor conditions for food workers, the collapse I

Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while initially conceived to measure economic activity, is now the most widely used indicator for societal progress and wellbeing. Its contemporary (mis)use has been documented and discussed in 'Beyond GDP' research. This mini-review brings a food systems lens to Beyond GDP research by providing an overview of the limitations of GDP as an indicator of wellbeing, and by illustrating examples of how these are embodied in Canadian food system policy. We offer a brief summary of some established and emerging areas of research dedicated to improving assessments of societal wellbeing in policy development. We highlight connections between Beyond GDP research and advocacy for food system policy reform and suggest that strengthening connections between the two areas of research and advocacy can help center societal wellbeing within food system policy research and development in Canada.