Food at the Tipping Point: Ways Forward from a Food System in Crisis
Developing Organic Vegetables for a Changing Canadian Climate
Developing Organic Vegetables for a Changing Canadian Climate
With the increase of temperatures and extreme weather events such as drought, flooding and heat waves, combined with the instability of organic seed availability and costs, it has become apparent that the food we grow needs to be adapted to the now rapidly changing climate. CANOVI, standing for Canadian Organic Vegetable Improvement, was launched in 2018 by the UBC Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, the Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security, and FarmFolk CityFolk, as a participatory research project trialling organic vegetable varieties suitable for growth in the Canadian climate.
Farmer participants across Canada generate and share data, looking at traits that are important to both the economic and ecologic viability of a crop, such as heat tolerance, marketability, cold hardiness, flavour and yield. Researchers at UBC are also supporting plant breeding projects based on results from the trials.
This research has become particularly relevant since its inception as we’ve seen drastic environmental changes within just a few years. Developing local seed security and knowing which crops are resilient in unpredictable growing seasons will be key to maintaining our food system in times of crisis.
Check out these short videos to learn more and meet some of the people involved with CANOVI.
View all 10 events in the series here!
The Food at the Tipping Point: Ways Forward from a Food System in Crisis series is brought to you by the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems (CSFS), the BC Food Web, the Faculty of Land and Food Systems (LFS), and the Royal Bank of Canada. This 10-part speaker series addresses the urgent need for widespread, dramatic change and provides us inspiration and real solutions.
