Heat waves show that the agricultural sector needs support
News Source: Kamloops This Week
July 28, 2021
“They need to be pretty sure that if they’re replanting they need to choose varieties that are appropriate for the upcoming climate, not the climate we used to have.” – Dr. Hannah Wittman
Dr. Hannah Wittman, CSFS Associate and LFS Professor, commented on how higher temperatures make it necessary for farmers to switch to crops less dependent on water. However, this could make for an expensive proposition — many small farms lack sustainable irrigation systems.
“In the last two decades, the emissions from agricultural soils have been increasing. That is the real concern.” – Dr. Andy Black
Dr. Andy Black, a Professor in the Applied Animal Biology program at UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems, discussed the findings of his research on greenhouse gas emissions coming from the agricultural sector. In B.C., this is the first long-term study that measures GHG emissions from agricultural crops year-round.
Wildfire smoke may affect insects ability to ‘see’ and ‘smell’ plants
News Source: iNFO News
August 2, 2021
“One specific issue that we have been discussing in my lab is the fact that insects orient and find food, mates, and habitat through sight and smell and that wildfire smoke can potentially interfere with those really important insect behaviours.” – Dr. Juli Carrillo
Dr. Juli Carrillo, CSFS Associate and Professor at UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems, spoke about how insects may be adapting their behaviours to smoky skies and warming temperatures. One challenge for pollinators is that using visual cues to find flowers is less effective.
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 Serena Black and Andy Midwood 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 is a research assistant in the Sustainable Agricultural Landscapes (SAL) lab, UBC, working on a greenhouse gas opportunity assessment for the agriculture sector in BC. She completed her MSc in Soil Science in the SAL lab in October 2020; the goal of her MSc research was to help improve nutrient management on organic vegetable farms to balance crop production with environmental stewardship. She is a Professional Agrologist and teaches sustainable soil management with the KPU – Tsawwassen First Nation Farm School, KPU Richmond Farm School, and the UBC Farm Practicum. She also works with ES Crop Consult to offer nutrient management services to farmers in the lower Fraser Valley.
Farm to Globe: Transforming Our Food Systems presents:
How Nature Based Solutions Restore Balance
Let’s talk about the climate crisis. The first episode in our two part mini series on climate change will explore nature based solutions – what even are they and what are we doing to try to implement them around the world? These natural climate solutions involve restoring and better managing ecosystems, from switching to restorative agriculture to cultivating mangrove forest regrowth, and many of them were founded in indigenous knowledge systems. Join our panelists Drew Bondar, Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust, Professor Terry Sunderland, UBC Faculty of Forestry, and Larry McDermott, Plenty Canada, as they discuss their own approaches and research on restoring the balance mankind has disrupted.
About the Presenters
Drew Bondar – Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust
Drew Bondar is passionate about food systems — from the biodiversity in soil to the networks we use to distribute food. As the Executive Director for an NGO that works with farmers to enhance farmland for soil health and wildlife habitat, and the Founder of a small business that rescues and delivers off-grade produce, Drew has experience working across the food supply chain. With dual degrees in agroecology and civil engineering, Drew’s educational background has provided training in a wide range of disciplines from project management to soil biology. Society is facing unprecedented challenges when it comes to climate change and biodiversity loss. Drew is committed to finding solutions to these challenges at the local level that are socially, environmentally and economically sustainable.
Professor Terry Sunderland – UBC Faculty of Forestry
Terry Sunderland is currently a Professor at the Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Canada focusing on the biological and human dimensions of the sustainable management and utilization of tropical forests. He was previously a Senior/Principal Scientist at the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Indonesia, where he coordinated CIFOR’s work on forests and food security, biodiversity conservation and integrated landscape management. Prior to joining CIFOR in early 2006, Terry was based in West Africa for over fifteen years and worked on numerous conservation and livelihood-focused projects. Having both a field practitioner and academic background gives him a wide perspective on conservation, livelihoods and related issues. Terry has a Masters degree in Forestry from the University of Oxford and a PhD from the University of London. He has published more than 240 research papers, book chapters and books. Terry is an active blogger and engages regularly with the media on disseminating research for policy influence and outreach.
Larry McDermott – Plenty Canada
Larry McDermott is Algonquin from Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation, and is the Executive Director of Plenty Canada. Larry is currently a member of numerous organizations including the International Indigenous Forum for Biodiversity the Canadian Environmental Network, UNESCO, and the Ontario Recovery Strategy for the American Eel. A former three-time Mayor and long-time council member of Lanark Highlands, was the first Chair of the Rural Forum of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, was a Commissioner for the Ontario Human Rights Commission, and was on the Ontario Species at Risk Public Advisory Committee. Larry also served as a comprehensive claim representative for Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation, is a certified tree marker and butternut assessor, and holds other environmental certifications. He has also received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Guelph. Larry was a humble student for many years of the late Algonquin Elder, Grandfather William Commanda, who created the Circle of All Nations organization. Larry lives in a 170-year-old log home on 500 acres of biologically diverse Algonquin land along the Mississippi River with his wife Nancy.
Jordan Kersey – Moderator
Jordan Kersey received her B.Sc. in Environmental Science and Biology at Iowa State University, USA. Throughout her undergrad, she worked in a soil chemistry lab which allowed her to discover her love for research and all things soil nitrogen related. After taking a year off, Jordy completed her M.Sc. in soil science at Oregon State University. Her master’s thesis focused on soil health in managed forest systems. Currently, Jordy is working on her PhD with Dr. Sean Smukler. Her project will be focused on soil health dynamics and climate change resiliency in agricultural fields of the Alaksen National Wildlife Area.
“Youth are on the front lines to build the food systems of the future, while also bearing significant risks from climate change, social and economic inequities, and political marginalization.” – Martin Cole
The HLPE (High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition) Report #16 has been published and is available online now. It was led by CSFS Associate and former Academic Director Hannah Wittman. This publication is about promoting youth engagement and employment in agriculture and food systems.
Farm to Globe: Transforming Our Food Systems presents:
Taking on Food Insecurity with Our School Food Systems
Canada is one of the only industrialized countries in the world without a national school food program. In Canada, over two thirds of children don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables, and health concerns such as diabetes are at all time highs, especially in BIPOC communities. Join Samantha Gambling, BC Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food, Claudia Paez, Farm to Cafeteria Canada, and Ian Marcuse, Our Place Food Strategy, as they discuss how our school food systems may be an avenue to address food insecurity and how to tackle the widespread inequity communities of colour experience in regards to food insecurity. Let’s discover solutions to make our school food systems stronger and to nourish the next generation.
About the Presenters
Samantha Gambling – BC Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food
Samantha Gambling is a senior programs advisor for the Public Health Association of BC. She currently coordinates the BC Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food to advocate for public investment in a universal, cost-shared, healthy school food program that meets the diverse needs of BC students. She is a graduate of the sustainable agriculture practicum at UBC Farm, and an MSc. alumna from University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems where she studied agricultural policy and food sovereignty.
Claudia Paez – Farm to Cafeteria Canada
Claudia Paez has a MSc. in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (UBC), a Bachelor in Social Communication, and a Diploma in Film Production. She is originally from Chile, and her love for healthy gardens and healthy food is in her cultural DNA from her matrilineal side. Her participation as a graduate student and research assistant in several research projects regarding food security, gender participation, food systems and food sovereignty in Indigenous, national and international context have provided her with the invaluable opportunity to gain an overview on the issues that the systems currently confront. Between 2016 and 2017, Claudia co-leaded a community-research project about food affordability and accessibility and organic food on campus. Claudia strongly believes that only healthy and culturally meaningful food can feed both our body and soul. Claudia is now the regional lead for British Columbia at Farm to Cafeteria Canada.
Ian Marcuse – Our Place Vancouver
Ian Marcuse is currently the Community Food Developer at Our Place Food Strategy Vancouver. Ian is also a coordinator with the Vancouver Neighbourhood Food Networks and was previously the Community Food Security Coordinator for the Grandview Woodland Food Connection at Britannia. Ian has been working in Vancouver for over a decade fighting for food security, fighting against inequality and empowering youth to be environmental leaders.
Ashiana Sunderji – Fresh Roots
Ashiana Sunderji is a rising sophomore studying neuroscience, physiology and human geography at the University of Toronto. She has experience in teaching diverse groups of youth in many different capacities such as in hydrotherapy, swimming, competitive dance, anti-bullying and most prominently through Fresh Roots; farming, food systems and sustainability. Ashiana’s TED-Ed talk about finding identity through community service has been published on TED-Ed’s youtube channel, and she has also been published on the internationally renowned TED-Ed blog. She has led the marketing team of a creative collective that strives to uplift underrepresented artists.
Raihan Hassen
Raihan Hassen is a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition student and a dietitian who is pursuing research around Vancouver school meal programs under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Black. Raihan is a Registered Dietitian having completed her Bachelor’s degree from UBC in the Food, Nutrition and Health Program with a major in Dietetics. She is curious about exploring the complex intersections between food security, school meal programs, and nutrition.
Raihan Hassen
Raihan Hassen is a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition student and a dietitian who is pursuing research around Vancouver school meal programs under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Black. Raihan is a Registered Dietitian having completed her Bachelor’s degree from UBC in the Food, Nutrition and Health Program with a major in Dietetics. She is curious about exploring the complex intersections between food security, school meal programs, and nutrition.
Farm to Globe: Transforming Our Food Systems presents:
Order Up: How Restaurants Adapted to the Pandemic
As everyone stayed home, no one was dining out. It is fair to say that the restaurant industry was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic and all its consequences. As revenue plummeted and businesses tried to stay afloat, restaurants and suppliers put their thinking hats on and showed a capability to adapt like never before. Join Shira Blustein, Chef Robert Clark and Justin Tisdall as they speak about their experiences in the restaurant industry from the past year, the challenges and the successes, and what the pandemic has changed about their businesses forever. This panel will focus on the incredibly fast-paced and equally impressive pivoting that these businesses had to perform and the struggles they had to contend with, all while maintaining operations that focus on sustainability and authenticity.
About the Presenters
Shira Blustein
Shira Blustein was playing music in punk and indie rock bands that toured extensively through Europe and North America before becoming a restaurateur. Those years spent travelling as a vegetarian were both enlightening and frustrating. On a good day, she would find an amazing dish from a street vendor that involved the freshest local produce, created with love. More often than not, however, she would find herself stuck between a brick of tofu and a hard place. It became Shira’s mission to create a vegetable forward dining experience where creativity reigned, and the uniqueness of ingredients were openly explored and celebrated. Shira and her team have been dedicated to establishing meaningful connections with local farms, foragers and wineries, showcasing the amazing terroir driven food and wine BC has to offer.
Since opening in 2012, The Acorn has picked up national awards for excellence, has been featured in the New York Times, Bon Appetit, and was deemed one of the best vegetable-forward destinations in the world by CNN and The Daily Meal, earning the Number 1 spot for best vegan restaurant in the world by Big Seven Travel. In 2016 Blustein opened The Arbor, a casual sequel to Acorn, with the same uncompromising attention being paid to quality, detail and plant-based deliciousness.
Robert Clark
Chef Robert Clark is a world-renowned chef, cookbook author, and ocean-friendly seafood advocate. Clark is the chief culinary officer of Organic Ocean Seafood. Organic Ocean Seafood is a seafood supplier located in British Columbia, supplying world-class chefs around the world. In April 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, Organic Ocean Seafood started their “Organic Ocean at Home” program so they could deliver seafood to homes in and around the Greater Vancouver Area – they now supply all provinces west of Quebec. Organic Ocean was created to foster a sustainable, vibrant, healthy seafood industry, in which fishermen would be fairly rewarded for their investment, effort, and personal risk.
In the past, Robert Clark has been the executive chef at C Restaurant, Raincity Grill, and Nu in Vancouver. More recently, he’s been the proprietor of the Fish Counter on Main Street. He’s also a cofounder of Vancouver’s Spot Prawn Festival and became a member of the Order of Canada in November 2020. Clark is a cofounder of Ocean Wise and was honoured as a 2011 SeaWeb Sustainable Seafood Champion for supporting the consumption of ocean-friendly seafood. He’s pleased to be working with Indigenous fisheries partners of Organic Ocean. He identifies as a challenger of the status quo and an advocate of authentic living, sustainable seafood and transparency in our food system.
Justin Tisdall
Justin Tisdall is the co-owner and operator of Juke Fried Chicken and Beetbox. Justin is also a council member of 10×10 Philanthropy, and was previously the beverage and restaurant manager for Shangri-la Hotel Vancouver. Tisdall has made a name for himself by remaining consistently ahead of the curve. He got in on the ground floor of the casual comfort food and high-quality-takeout trend with the beginning of Juke, and has adapted to the growing demand for vegan and vegetarian options with the launch of Beetbox. He began his career almost 20 years ago as a bartender to subsidize his competitive swimming on Canada’s national team, and he has approached each restaurant position since with that same competitive spirit. Juke and Beetbox both represent Justin’s unique approach and culture of questioning the status quo.
Darren Clay
Darren Clay’s passion for culinary arts began at an early age. Every morning a loaf of unsliced bologna and unsliced bread was left out for him to saw through and create his own haphazardly shaped meat and mustard sandwich. Fast forward a number of years where he apprenticed with Fairmont Hotels in Vancouver, various establishments in Singapore with Raffles Hotel Group and learned efficiency and systems with Cactus Club Cafe. Darren settled into a role as Executive Culinary Chef at Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts on Granville Island. / Wanting to give back to the industry, Darren sits on various ITA advisory committees, was a part of the Joy of Feeding steering committee which raised awareness and funds for the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm. It was here that he was enlightened with the progressive initiatives happening at UBC and joined the team to help make a difference in the future of food. / Darren is currently with UBC Food Services and working on various initiatives to bring local, sustainable and healthy options to students and staff. He is also the President of the Chef’s Table Society of BC. He can’t remember the last bologna sandwich he ate.
Darren Clay
Darren Clay’s passion for culinary arts began at an early age. Every morning a loaf of unsliced bologna and unsliced bread was left out for him to saw through and create his own haphazardly shaped meat and mustard sandwich. Fast forward a number of years where he apprenticed with Fairmont Hotels in Vancouver, various establishments in Singapore with Raffles Hotel Group and learned efficiency and systems with Cactus Club Cafe. Darren settled into a role as Executive Culinary Chef at Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts on Granville Island. / Wanting to give back to the industry, Darren sits on various ITA advisory committees, was a part of the Joy of Feeding steering committee which raised awareness and funds for the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm. It was here that he was enlightened with the progressive initiatives happening at UBC and joined the team to help make a difference in the future of food. / Darren is currently with UBC Food Services and working on various initiatives to bring local, sustainable and healthy options to students and staff. He is also the President of the Chef’s Table Society of BC. He can’t remember the last bologna sandwich he ate.
“If you experience a power outage, your fridge and freezer doors should be opened as seldom as possible so as to preserve the cool temperatures inside.” – Dr. Siyun Wang
Dr. Siyun Wang, CSFS Associate and Professor at UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems, shared some recommendations for how to keep your perishables safe during a heat wave. Both food and medications can spoil with extreme temperatures, thus it is important to keep these safe and to recognize when spoilage has occurred.
Farm to Globe: Transforming Our Food Systems presents:
Canada’s Role in Local and Global Food Systems
Tune in for the first episode of our summer webinar series! The past year has made it clear that our food systems need fixing. This introductory episode will examine Canada’s place in the global food system and the importance of our local food systems. Join us as we set the stage for a summer of webinars exploring innovative solutions that will change our food systems forever and for the better. Our panelists Ione Smith, Upland Agricultural Consulting, and Rickey Yada, Dean of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC, will offer global and local perspectives on what we have learned from the pandemic and what we need to do moving forward.
About the Presenters
Ione Smith
Ione Smith is passionate about working to find solutions to challenging food system problems. She is a Professional Agrologist with a background in community engagement, agricultural planning, and land resource science. Ione brings over 16 years of extensive experience in developing recommendations and policies that will improve farm viability and food production through strategic stakeholder engagement processes. Ione has built a career on developing innovative agriculture and food security plans for local governments, agricultural climate change adaptation and mitigation research for government and non-government agencies, and business plans for individual farmers. She has worked with Indigenous communities, governments of all levels, and non-governmental organizations to craft actionable recommendations and implement key business strategies to improve and develop opportunities for agriculture and food security. Ione is a Qualified BC Farm Business Advisor as conferred by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP): a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. In addition to her consulting work, Ione currently serves as Vice Chair (South Coast) of the Provincial Agricultural Land Commission. Other previous positions include volunteering as a steering committee member of the BC Food Systems Network, an organization that works to create healthy, just, and sustainable food systems and serving as a board member of Community Futures Sunshine Coast, an organization committed to growing local businesses.
Rickey Yada
Professor Rickey Yada was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C. in 2014. Prior to UBC, Dr. Yada was at the University of Guelph where he held numerous leadership roles, including Assistant Vice President Research, Canada Research Chair in Food Protein Structure, Scientific Director of the Advanced Foods and Materials Network (Networks of Centres of Excellence), and Founding Member of the Food Institute. He is, currently, the North American Editor of Trends in Food Science and Technology as well as serving on the editorial board of several journals. His areas of research includes: the structure – function relationships of enzymes (aspartic proteases) and carbohydrate biochemistry as related to nutrition and food quality. / Dr. Yada serves in a leadership capacity to several research and industry organizations, some of which include Chair of the Board of Trustees, International Life Science Institute – North America; Board of Bioenterprise Inc.; Advisory Committee Member – Arrell Food Institute and Seeding Food Innovation Grant Program (George Weston Loblaws); Member of the Scientific Advisory Panel – Riddet Institute (New Zealand); and a Member of the Advisory Panel – AgResearch (New Zealand). He is also a Past President and Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology and the International Academy of the International Union of Food Science and Technology, and is also a fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists. Dr. Yada has an honorary DSc from the University of Guelph and was the 2019 Harraways 1867 Visiting Professor, University of Otago, New Zealand.
Clare Cullen – Moderator
Clare Cullen took the helm as Operations Director at the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems in March, 2015. She plays a key leadership role in the Centre’s daily operations, business development, and financial and human resources management. Clare holds a B.A. honours in Film and Communication from Queens University and an M.Ed in Art and Environment from Simon Fraser University. Prior to joining CSFS, Clare worked with UBC’s Beaty Biodiversity Museum as the Administrative Manager. With a rich background in arts, environmental education, finance, entrepreneurship and non-profit organizations, Clare has a diversity of skills and a wealth of experience.
