Jane Rabinowicz 
Executive Director / Directrice générale | USC Canada
Ottawa, ON, CANADA
NGO leader with expertise in seed, agroecology and nonprofit management / Leader d'ONG avec expertise en semences, agroécologie, et gestion.
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Biography
Jane Rabinowicz is a dynamic nonprofit leader working to advance food sovereignty in Canada and 11 countries around the world. In 2016, she was named one of the 53 most influential people in the food system in Canada by The Globe and Mail.
Jane has extensive experience communicating in English and French. Her expertise lies in civil society initiatives to support food sovereignty, ecological farming (agroecology), seed diversity, farmers' rights, and farmer-led plant breeding. She can speak firsthand of the growing movement to reverse agricultural biodiversity loss in Canada and globally. She can also comment on the geopolitical implications of seed and farming policies and of trends in the global seed market.
Through her work, Jane has access to direct examples of successes and challenges in Canada's ecological farming sector as well as in 11 countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa.
Jane is currently Executive Director of USC Canada, one of Canada's longest-standing nonprofits. Prior to this role, she led the organisation’s domestic field program, The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security. The Initiative is Canada's most comprehensive seed program, working to rebuild the diversity, quality, and quantity of Canadian seeds. It also supports innovation by farmers and researchers to encourage environmentally- friendly and socially just farming practices.
Jane has an extensive network among Canadian farmers, researchers, civil society partners, business, and government. She splits her time between Montreal and Ottawa.
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Jane Rabinowicz travaille pour promouvoir la souveraineté alimentaire au Canada ainsi que dans 11 pays du Sud. En 2016, elle figurait sur la liste du Globe and Mail des 53 personnes qui ont le plus d’influence sur le système alimentaire canadien.
Jane s'exprime couramment dans les deux langues officielles sur les enjeux reliés à l’alimentation, l’agriculture et les semences.
Elle possède une grande expertise sur les initiatives citoyennes pour soutenir la souveraineté alimentaire, l’agriculture écologique (agroécologie), la diversité des semences, et les droits des paysans, fermiers et agriculteurs. À partir d’USC Canada, elle peut offrir des exemples concrets parvenant du secteur agricole au Canada et dans 11 pays d’Asie, d’Amérique latine et d’Afrique.
Jane est Directrice générale d’USC Canada, une organisation à but non lucratif fondée en 1945 qui gère le plus grand programme relié aux semences au Canada.
Industry Expertise (8)
Agriculture and Farming
Food Production
International Trade and Development
Public Policy
International Affairs
Women
Non-Profit/Charitable
Philanthropy
Areas of Expertise (38)
Ecological farming (agroecology)
ecological seed production and conservation
Farmer-saved seeds
Local Food Systems
Food Sovereignty
Food Security
Small-scale farmers in Latin America, Africa and Asia
Global South food issues and farming
Food and farming policy
Organic farming
Small-scale farming
Heirloom seeds
Bangladesh
Bolivia
Bolivie
Burkina Faso
Cuba
Ethiopia
Éthiopie
Honduras
Guatemala
Mali
Nepal
Nicaragua
Timor Leste
Production et conservation des semences agricoles
Semences du patrimoine
Agriculture écologique (agroécologie)
Agriculture de proximité
Agriculture locale
Agriculture biologique
Circuits courts de commercialisation agricole
Souveraineté alimentaire
Sécurité alimentaire
Semenciers
Genetically engineered (GE) foods
Organismes génétiquement modifiés (OGM)
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
Accomplishments (1)
Recognized as one of Canada's Food "Thinkers" by the Globe and Mail (August 2016) (professional)
2016-08-10
Recognized as one of Canada's 8 most influential "Thinkers" when it comes to Canadian Food, as part of the Globe and Mail's "Food 53" series (2016). The article highlights previous work leading The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security, USC Canada's program to rebuild the diversity of Canadian farmer-saved seeds. Jane has since become USC Canada's Executive Director.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/food-trends/the-food53-the-thinkers/article31335634/#rabinowicz
Education (1)
McGill University: B.A., Environmental Studies 2003
Links (5)
Languages (2)
- English
- French
Media Appearances (3)
We Are Canada
CBC tv
2017-05-14
Jane Rabinowicz is one of 18 young Canadians featured by WE ARE CANADA, a six-part documentary series that celebrates the next generation of passionate Canadian changemakers. Narrated by Sarah Polley and conceived and produced in collaboration with Ken Dryden, WE ARE CANADA featured 18 stories selected from across the country. It celebrates the accomplishments of young Canadians who are groundbreakers, creators and visionaries, making new discoveries and connections across many disciplines, including science, technology, politics, business and the arts.
36-year-old Jane Rabinowicz from Montreal, whose mission is to conserve and advance seed biodiversity, keep seed in the public domain, breed new varieties of grain, and promote ecological seed production, was featured in the series' final episode on May 14, 2017 at 7 p.m. (7:30 p.m. NT) on CBC. A French-language version of the series will air on ICI Radio-Canada Télé and ICI RDI this summer.
The full episode is available online: http://www.cbc.ca/2017/wearecanada
La Semaine Verte
Radio-Canada tv
2017-03-25
(Entrevue avec Jane Rabinowicz débute à 5:05 min)
Depuis 12 000 ans, des générations de paysans ont sélectionné les semences afin de domestiquer des plantes sauvages. Encore aujourd’hui, l’essentiel de notre alimentation provient d’une semence.
Mais leur diversité diminue à un rythme alarmant. L’humanité ne compte plus que sur une dizaine de plantes pour se nourrir. Le contrôle des semences par les multinationales de l’agrochimie accélère le déclin de la biodiversité cultivée. Comment sauver ce qui reste de semences? La réserve mondiale du Svalbard située au cœur de l’Arctique, en Norvège, parviendra-t-elle à protéger le patrimoine semencier de l’humanité?
Devant les défis que posent les changements climatiques, la diversité génétique des semences est plus que jamais essentielle pour notre sécurité alimentaire.
Food 53
Globe and Mail print
2016-08-10
Recognized as one of Canada's 8 most influential "Thinkers" when it comes to Canadian Food, as part of the Globe and Mail's "Food 53" series (2016).
The article highlights Jane Rabinowicz's work leading the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security, USC Canada's program to rebuild the diversity of Canadian farmer-saved seeds.
Series description: "This summer, the Globe names, and celebrates, the most influential people in Canadian food – chefs and CEOs, farmers and winemakers, plus researchers, restaurateurs and, of course, eaters."
Event Appearances (5)
Terroir Symposium
Panel: Breeding for diversity and seed security Toronto, ON
2016-04-24
Organic Seed Alliance
Panel: Building Resilient Seed Systems Corvallis, OR
2016-02-01
Canadian Climate Forum
Panel: Food Security, the North, and the Challenge of Seeds Ottawa, ON
2015-11-01
Seed Savers Exchange
Keynote, with Susie Walsh: From Seeds of Survival to Seeds of Resilience Decorah, IA
2015-07-01
International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements
Panel: Sowing Seeds of Knowledge Istanbul
2014-10-01
Articles (3)
2013-11-17
"(...) Local food does not necessarily mean local seed. In fact, most vegetable seed planted on farms in Canada comes from beyond our borders. It is not bred for Canada’s diverse growing environments, or organic production systems. These facts have not yet made it to the forefront of the local food movement, in part I believe due to the fact that seed producers are that extra step removed from the consumer."
Co-authored by Jane Rabinowicz and Eric Steedman
2017-04-28
Co-authored by Alex Hill and Jane Rabinowicz
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