Grist: Salad will survive climate change. But at what cost?
Salad will survive climate change. But at what cost? News Source: Grist June 16, 2021 “Even as fewer people in the world go hungry, nutrient deficiencies remain high.” – Dr. Navin Ramankutty Dr. Navin Ramankutty, a professor at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability and School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, commented on the importance of finding a balance […]
UBC Strategic Plan: Nature’s weapon against food-borne pathogens
Nature’s weapon against food-borne pathogens News Source: UBC Strategic Plan June 11, 2021 “This is like a drug discovery process. We collect phages, bring them into the lab and run trials on animals, crops and food products to test how effective they are.” – Dr. Siyun Wang Dr. Siyun Wang, CSFS Associate and Professor of […]
Planning West: 20th Anniversary of the UBC Farm
20th Anniversary of the UBC Farm News Source: Planning West Spring 2021 “Formed in 2011, CSFS’s main research and learning space is the UBC Farm, which began as a student-led initiative that is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The UBC Farm and the CSFS have both grown over the decades, with the UBC Farm […]
UBC Microbiology: Beneficial microbes protect plants from pathogen attacks
Beneficial microbes protect plants from pathogen attacks News Source: UBC Microbiology May 10, 2021 “Plants are a much more tractable system. We can make genetic and mechanistic advances very quickly and affordably compared to mice, which are more cost and labour intensive. We hope that this work will inform how animals, including humans, recruit beneficial […]
Springer Nature: Are Small Farms Better?
Are Small Farms Better? News Source: Springer Nature March 26, 2021 “It is an important question to examine — more than 80% of the world’s farmers are smallholders and they constitute a large portion of the world’s poor and vulnerable populations.” – Dr. Navin Ramankutty Dr. Navin Ramankutty, CSFS Associate and Canada Research Chair in […]
The Globe and Mail and National Post: Nature’s assets and conserving 30% of Earth
Nature’s assets and conserving 30% of Earth by 2030 News Source: The Globe and Mail, National Post April 21, 2021 “How can we understand when we’re moving closer to or farther away from sustainability?” – Dr. Bennett The Globe and Mail highlighted a study by Dr. Matthew Mitchell, CSFS Associate and research associate at UBC’s […]
National Geographic: Breeding climate-resilient sunflowers
Breeding climate-resilient sunflowers News Source: National Geographic April 16, 2021 “It is a crop that’s very well suited for climate change, in part because you have the wild relatives, which give it options for creating more environmentally resilient cultivars.” – Dr. Loren Rieseberg Dr. Loren Rieseberg, CSFS associate and professor in UBC’s Department of Botany, commented on […]
CBC: Chocolate might melt out of memory if we don’t protect pollinators
Chocolate might melt out of memory if we don’t protect pollinators News Source: CBC April 6, 2021 “To support pollinators as spring takes hold, plant pollinator-supporting gardens.” – Dr. Claire Kremen Dr. Claire Kremen, a professor at UBC’s Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, says combing the yard for chocolate Easter eggs could one day be a […]
Organic Science Canada: Wasps vs. Spotted Wing Drosophila
Wasps vs. Spotted Wing Drosophila News Source: Organic Science Canada Spring 2021 “Natural enemies that kill spotted wing drosophila may help to slow their growth and, in turn, reduce pressure on crops.” – Dr. Juli Carrillo and research team Dr. Juli Carrillo, CSFS Associate, has a research write-up on pages 25 and 26 of this […]
National Observer and The Star: Canada’s new laws for GMOs and gene editing
Canada’s new laws for GMOs and gene editing News Source: National Observer, The Star March 11, 2021 “Gene editing makes it easier to ensure an organism will have desirable traits than traditional breeding.” – Dr. Loren Rieseberg Dr. Loren Rieseberg, a professor in UBC’s Department of Botany, spoke about gene editing and developing gene-edited crops. Compared with […]