Artificial intelligence could make our food safer — but at what cost?
By juliana cao on September 1, 2022
Artificial intelligence could make our food safer — but at what cost?

Potato Chip Production (MediaProduction/E+/Getty Images)
September 1, 2022
A study led by Land and Food Systems Dean and professor, Dr. Rickey Yada, looked into how artificial intelligence can help make our food supply safer.
Through various tools such as image analysis and product scanning, AI’s data-driven approach can help food producers identify problems before they enter the consumption stage, the study states.
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By juliana cao on August 18, 2022
How raccoons became the ultimate urban survivors

UBC Urban Raccoon Project (Hannah Griebling)
August 18, 2022
Researcher Dr. Sarah Benson-Amram, Department of Forest and Conservation Science/Zoology, Faculty of Forestry and Science, discussed her research that looks into the intelligence of raccoons.
Benson-Amram leads the UBC Urban Raccoon Project, a CSFS project that uses wildlife cameras to estimate abundance and monitor the behaviour and activity of raccoons at the UBC Farm.
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By juliana cao on July 13, 2022
Power of Two: Matthew Vasilev and Katie Selbee of Twin Island Cider

Matthew Vasilev and Katie Selbee (Twin Island Cider)
July 14, 2022
“We met at UBC Farm over eight years ago – I was completing a Sustainable Farming Practicum there and Matthew was a new farm volunteer.”
Katie Selbee, a UBC Farm Practicum grad, and Matthew Vasilev, a former volunteer at the Farm, run Twin Island Cider together on Pender Island, where they make low-intervention apple and perry (pear) cider fermented using native yeasts.
Read more about how they balance cider making, orchard tending, and business running at Scout Magazine.
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By juliana cao on July 6, 2022
Hound found: on the hunt for truffles in British Columbia

Truffle Dog Team: John Kelly with Macchi
July 6, 2022
Dr. Shannon Berch, adjunct professor with the Faculty of Land and Food Systems and an associate member in Botany at the University of British Columbia, comments on the science of truffle cultivation. Berch leads the Truffle Establishment in British Columbia, a project at the UBC Farm which focuses on farming Mediterranean black winter truffles in a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with English oak trees.
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By juliana cao on June 28, 2022
Food programs should be part of school
June 29, 2022
“Children have the right to adequate, nourishing food. Yet, one in six B.C. families worries about or lacks enough money for food.”
Dr. Jennifer Black (Faculty of Land and Food Systems), an associate here at the CSFS, co-wrote about why B.C.’s next budget should support universal school food programs.
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By juliana cao on June 28, 2022
Get ready for the surprise inside this burger
June 28, 2022
UBC residence chef Johnny Bridge combines the UBC Farm’s beets with Canadian beef for a fun and surprising experience. “Canadian beef is among the world’s best,” Bridge says. “Mix that with the UBC Farm, and it’s a chef’s dream. I wanted to highlight them both and create a flavour and visual treat.”
Find the full story at the Toronto Star.
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By juliana cao on June 27, 2022
B.C. honey bee keepers lost 32% of colonies over winter – which is higher than normal
June 27, 2022
CSFS Associate Dr. Leonard Foster (Michael Smith Lab; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) said he suspects that weather patterns will play an increasingly significant role in honey bee colony loss.
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By madison pinder on June 25, 2022
Seeds of Knowledge
Saturdays, June 3, 2023 – November 25, 2023, 10:00AM-2:00PM
Learn about and celebrate research with the whole family this Summer at select UBC Farm Saturday Markets!
Seeds of Knowledge showcases the innovative research happening at the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems and our partners. We’re highlighting results and giving the public the chance to meet researchers, explore research tools, and join a tour led by researchers to see what research in action looks like at the UBC Farm. Learn more about research at the UBC Farm!
Guest Researchers:
Date and Time
Saturdays, June 4 – August 27 | 10:00AM – 2:00PM
Location
UBC Farm | 3461 Ross Drive
Cost
FREE
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By juliana cao on June 23, 2022
xʷc̓ic̓əsəm Garden named one of the 100 Garden Moments of Canada
June 27, 2022
Congratulations to all our friends at the xʷc̓ic̓əsəm Garden! The xʷc̓ic̓əsəm Garden (Indigenous Health Research and Education Garden), located at the UBC Farm, has been recognized as one of the 100 Garden Moments of Canada – a list that will serve as the basis of Canada’s Garden Hall of Fame.
See the full list here.
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By juliana cao on June 22, 2022
Utilizing UBC Advanced Research Computing for Biodiversity Monitoring
Featuring Dr. Matthew Mitchell and Laura Super

Dr. Matthew Mitchell and Laura Super at the UBC Farm (UBC IT Communications)
June 23, 2022
The CSFS’s Associate Dr. Matthew Mitchell and Faculty of Forestry PhD Candidate Laura Super discuss how they use UBC Advanced Research Computing (ARC) to answer questions about biodiversity conservation, landscape ecology, and the impacts of climate change.
ARC is being used for the Biodiversity Monitoring project at the UBC Farm, which helps us understand how biodiversity at the Farm is changing over time and how this affects important ecosystem services that aid people, help crops grow, and contribute to overall ecosystem sustainability.
Read the full article at UBC ARC.
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