From Crisis to Capacity: Emergency Food Planning in the Fraser Valley Hackathon
The Food and Agriculture Institute, in collaboration with Sustainable Food Systems for Canada (SF4C), hosted a policy-focused hackathon on May 12, 2026. This event brought together 17 undergraduate and graduate students from across the Lower Mainland at the University of the Fraser Valley to develop proactive policies for addressing food system emergencies in the Fraser Valley, such as wildfires and floods.
Mentors and practitioners guided students in identifying challenges and preparing their pitches. The students presented their proposed solutions at Grounded Innovation 3.0, with the top three placing teams continuing their work with mentors after the competition to prepare policy briefs for government distribution. The completed briefs can be found below.
Day 1 of the hackathon was held at the UFV Abbotsford campus and consisted of a full day of design thinking activities, lectures, mentorship, pitch preparation, and more.
Day 2 was held at Grounded Innovation 3.0 on the UFV Chilliwack campus, where groups presented their pitches to a panel of expert judges and an audience of industry professionals and community members.
The top three placing student groups were awarded with cash prizes, and given the opportunity to turn their presented policy proposals into formal policy briefs for government distribution. The students worked with the Food and Agriculture Institute team to gain hands-on experience and guidance in preparing their policy briefs, in addition to graciously receiving feedback from members of the expert judging panel. The final policy briefs produced by these incredible students can be found below!
Congratulations to all of the students who poured so much thought and energy into this exciting event, and a huge thank you to the mentors and judges for sharing your valuable insights and knowledge. We are already looking forward to the next one!
