Climate Change: Mobilizing Industry to Make a Difference

Farm to Globe: Transforming Our Food Systems presents:

Mobilizing Industry to Make a Difference

Many of us are doing our best to lower our impact on the planet – taking shorter showers, bringing a reusable cup, supporting local and much more. However, in order to make a big difference in the climate crisis we need to move beyond individual efforts and mobilize our industries to make positive change. The second episode in our mini series on climate change will explore ways in which we can encourage the agricultural and agroforestry industries to join the fight. Our panelists will discuss where we are at with our climate mitigation goals and what needs to be done to move us forward.

About the Presenters

Serena Black – UNBC and Industrial Forestry Service

Serena Black is an Agriculture Extension Specialist with UNBC and a Science Research Specialist with Industrial Forestry Service. She is currently the chair of the steering committee of the BC Agricultural Climate Adaptation Research Network. She is also the Manager for the BC Forage Council and the Coordinator of the Cariboo Agricultural Research Alliance. Her climate change research is focused primarily on soil quality, forage productivity, and extension.

Andy Midwood – Terramera Inc.

Andy Midwood is the Senior Soil Scientist at Terramera Inc. and has a research background. Prior to joining Terramera he worked at UBC in Kelowna and before that, the James Hutton Research Institute in Scotland. The central theme to Andy’s work has been building an understanding of soil carbon, what controls its accumulation and how to prevent its loss. He was recently involved in a study to examine the influence of irrigation on soil carbon in the Okanagan Valley. Over his career Andy has worked in a range of different systems throughout the world, both managed and natural. At Terramera, he is focused on developing new, low costs means to measure soil organic carbon at a field scale, with a view to unlocking carbon markets for the farming community.

Amy Norgaard – UBC Sustainable Agricultural Landscapes Lab

Amy Norgaard is completing a MSc in Soil Science in the Sustainable Agricultural Landscapes Lab at UBC. Her research helps organic farmers meet their goal of producing food with a reduced environmental impact through enhanced nutrient management. For this work, she managed two seasons of field trials (2018, 2019) in collaboration with 20 organic vegetable farms in the lower Fraser Valley, Pemberton, and on Vancouver Island. She also teaches sustainable soil management with the KPU – Tsawwassen First Nation Farm School and is a registered Professional Agrologist.