Diversified Agroecosystems Cluster is renewed
By Jacqueline Chan on March 1, 2021
Diversified Agroecosystems Cluster is renewed
The Diversified Agroecosystems Cluster has been renewed for the next 2 years. This is a major UBC grant hosted at the CSFS and is a collaboration with researchers across North America.
More about the Cluster
Over the last three years, the UBC
Research Excellence Cluster on Diversified Agroecosystems, convened by
the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm, has built a global network of researchers and
farming organizations that are documenting, synthesizing, translating and transforming practices for
sustainable and resilient food systems. We have developed, tested and continue to generate novel
methods to foster agroecological transitions in global agriculture across diverse cultures, geographies, and
economies. We have integrated diverse ways of knowing to stimulate evidence-based decision-making at
scales from households to global policy networks.
We have piloted an innovative farm-scale digital
platform (LiteFarm) that benefits farmers while catalyzing socio-ecological research innovation. We will use
the next 2 years to launch this platform globally while also pursuing an exciting research framework to
envision and implement a 100-year research experiment at UBC Farm. These key capstone deliverables for
the Cluster will ensure that the synergistic research that the GCRC galvanized will persist and evolve with
the UBC Farm serving as a global leader for diversified agriculture for decades to come.
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By Jacqueline Chan on February 26, 2021
Meet Kip, the three-legged coyote living at UBC
News Source: CTV, Vancouver is Awesome
February 24, 2021
“No, the tri-yote doesn’t need help.” – Brendan Kergin
News outlets featured a coyote spotted on UBC’s Vancouver campus and spoke with Dr. Kristen Walker, CSFS Associate and professor in UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems.
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By Jacqueline Chan on February 26, 2021
Meet a young agrologist helping organic farmers with their green production goals
News Source: The Star
January 13, 2021
“We all learned how to recycle because of school campaigns. We then took that information home. We have a large school population, and food security education can help shape those minds.” – Amy Norgaard
The Star featured Amy Norgaard, an agrologist who works at CSFS Associate Dr. Sean Smukler’s lab (the Sustainable Agricultural Landscapes Lab at UBC). She talks about her work in teaching about sustainable soil management and assessing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.
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By Jacqueline Chan on February 25, 2021
Increased COVID-19 variant severity not enough evidence for B.C. authorities
News Source: Vancouver Sun, The Province
February 24, 2021
“Epidemiologists prefer studies of tens of thousands of cases and months of observation.” – Dr. Leonard Foster
Dr. Leonard Foster, CSFS Associate and head of UBC’s department of biochemistry and molecular biology, says that while there hasn’t been enough time to build strong data on variants, it can still be useful to be aware of the hints contained in early research.
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By Jacqueline Chan on February 23, 2021
Biodiversity Research Photo Competition Results
Warren Wong, a PhD student in Dr. Juli Carrillo’s lab and CSFS student member, won the BRC Photo Competition’s Community Choice Award. His photograph is of a parasitoid (spotted wing drosophila) inside a raspberry.
The image is shown to the left of this text, as well as in this link for better resolution. Congratulations, Warren!
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By Jacqueline Chan on February 22, 2021
Delta seeing decline in soil organic matter
News Source: Delta Optimist
February 21, 2021
“Critical to soil health, the organic matter is on the decline in Delta and throughout the Fraser Valley.” – Dr. Sean Smukler
Delta Optimist reported on a study which shows that organic matter is on the decline in Delta and throughout the Fraser Valley. Organic matter is made up of decomposed plant and animal tissues, and is very important for soil aeration and water holding capacity. Dr. Siddhartho Paul conducted this study while he was a graduate student in CSFS Associate Dr. Sean Smukler’s lab (the Sustainable Agricultural Landscapes Lab at UBC).
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By Jacqueline Chan on February 18, 2021
How regenerative agriculture is putting hope in the soil
News Source: The Star, Yahoo
February 18, 2021
“This reality is something all Canadians should be concerned about, as soil is integral to our ecosystem and the source of our food.” – Gabrielle Bastien
Dr. Sean Smukler, CSFS Associate and a professor at UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems, gave comments about the impact of regenerative agriculture on agricultural production and the mitigation of climate change.
Check out the original article at The Star or Yahoo.
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By Jacqueline Chan on February 18, 2021
(Portuguese) International Cooperation Project – Projeto De Cooperação Internacional
News Source: Cepagro
January 22, 2021
“A aceleração da crise climática global ameaça cada vez mais a segurança alimentar e nutricional das populações do campo e da cidade” (Translation: The acceleration of the global climate crisis is increasingly threatening the food and nutritional security of rural and urban populations) – Cepagro
Please see the left sidebar in the article for translation into English.
The “Agroecology in Latin America: building paths” project had been created through international collaboration between Cepagro and UBC via Dr. Hannah Wittman, CSFS Associate and professor at the IRES (Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability). The project’s data collection is conducted by LiteFarm, a digital agricultural management tool developed by UBC’s scientists, designers, and students.
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By Jacqueline Chan on February 4, 2021
Protecting Biodiversity – Farmers and Agriculture
News Source: The Conversation
February 3, 2021
“Given population pressure, it is not politically feasible to increase the extent of protected areas. The question is, how will Africa provide space for its wildlife and food production?” – Dr. Terry Sunderland
Dr. Terry Sunderland, CSFS Associate and professor in the Faculty of Forestry, co-authored an article on why resource conservation strategies should not only focus on protected areas, but also make use of the chance to maintain biodiversity within agricultural landscapes.
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By Jacqueline Chan on February 4, 2021
B.C. Government Invests in Food Supply Chain
News Source: National Observer
February 3, 2021
“Free trade deals like NAFTA have consistently made it more difficult for smaller, regional food processing facilities to compete.” – Dr. Hannah Wittman
Dr. Hannah Wittman, CSFS Associate and professor at the IRES (Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability) & LFS, recently interviewed in National Observer about food shortages during COVID-19. The pandemic has exposed shortcomings in our current food processing and distribution model. To increase the resilience of local processing operations, B.C. food and beverage manufacturers are soon to receive funding from the provincial government.
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