ReachOut Feature: Learning Tools for Just Food
By catherine hodgson on June 4, 2019
ReachOut Feature: Learning Tools for Just Food
Joyce Liao and Meryn Corkery, fourth-year students in the Faculty of Global Resource Systems and former and current WorkLearns (respectively) with the CSFS at UBC Farm, were featured in the latest issue of the Land and Food Systems Faculty Journal ReachOut. The feature highlights their two-year research project, “Just Food: Building Equity Competencies with Food Systems Pedagogy.”
According to Liao and Corkery, the concept of intersectionality is a critical lens for understanding the different ways people shape and are shaped by the food system. Their research explores strategies to better integrate the concept of equity in the food system into the undergraduate curriculum for Land and Food Systems.
Liao and Corkery’s two-year project is supported by PhD candidate Colin Dring, and involves people from across UBC campus, including members from the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm; Faculty of Arts; Department of Educational Studies; and the Centre for Teaching, Learning Technology. The project is funded by UBC’s Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund. In the end, the project team hopes to build a collection of online multimedia and open source materials available to those within and external to UBC, as well as teach-back tools that could be used by both students and faculty members.
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By catherine hodgson on May 30, 2019
Food Roundtable: Knowledge from Agroecological Experience
Peter Wall Institute
As Agroecology – in its multiple dimensions – has received considerable attention in the last five years on global and regional levels, multiple requests have been made on the part of governments for a better evidence base on the performance of Agroecology vis a vis other “sustainable agriculture” systems. There is an increasing recognition that we leave off a vast scope of knowledge by ignoring or not validating diverse sources of information: the knowledge and experience of farmers, local communities, and many community-level initiatives with a depth of knowledge far beyond the bounds of experimental stations and controlled environments.
In the context of providing a rapid review of such realms of knowledge to support the ongoing Committee on World Food Security High Level Panel of Experts project report on Agroecology, we explored methods to facilitate better capturing of local experiences and impacts that ultimately reflect larger patterns, seeking to expand observations and inferences from individual case studies beyond their spatial and temporal boundaries.
A photo exhibit on agrobiodiversity and food security called “Nature and Nourishment: The Agrobiodiversity and Food Security Nexus” will also be on display.
When, Where, and How Much?
- May 30 2019 from 4 pm until 6 pm
- Liu Institute, xʷθəθiqətəm (Place of many trees), formerly the Multipurpose Room, UBC
- A reception with light refreshments will be held from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m.
- Free entry, no registration required.
About the Presenter
Dr. Barbara Gemmill-Herren
Dr. Barbara Gemmill-Herren served as Delivery Manager for the Major Area of Work on Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Within the FAO, she coordinated the International Pollinator Initiative, building a global project on Pollination Services that was implemented in Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, India, Pakistan, and Nepal. She was also responsible for FAO’s work on Ecosystem Services in Agricultural Production and was engaged in FAO’s new focus on Agroecology. She presently works as a senior associate to the World Agroforestry Centre, supporting the United Nations’ work on agroecology and true-cost accounting in agriculture. In April 2018 she was appointed to the UN Committee on Food Security’s High Level Panel of Experts project team on ‘Agroecological approaches and other innovations for sustainable agrifood systems that enhance food security and nutrition.’
This event is an International Research Roundtable presented by CSFS Diversified Agroecosystem Research Cluster and hosted by the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies.
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By catherine hodgson on May 30, 2019
Bees & Wax
About this Workshop
Honey comb appears to be nearly perfect in it’s geometric composition, each hexagonal cell identical to its neighbour. Or is it? How bees make wax and how they use it is fascinating and surprising. Let’s explore wax and it’s wonders together, what it is made of, how the bees make it and how we use it. As a part of our exploration of wax we will make naturally flavoured lip balm that you may take home.
About the Instructor
Brian became immersed in the rich and amazing world of bees while he and his four sons spent many a glorious day observing the curious activities of bees, noticing the bees’ consistent patterns, collective activities, and the surprising comparisons to our own human patterns and behaviours. He’s never looked back and today is a Certified Beemaster and beekeeper, heavily involved in food security issues in Richmond and the Lower Mainland.
Brian guest lectures for Gaia College’s Growing Food in the City certificate program, for adult education at Van Dusen Gardens in Vancouver, for Kwantlen’s Richmond Farm School and teaches young people in the city about honey bees as well as native types. He is President of the Richmond Beekeepers Association, a BC Association Master Gardener, Sustainable Gardening and Bee Master to West Coast Seeds, and offers classes in grafting fruit trees, food preserving, and other farm skills.
Date and Time
DATE Wednesday, August 7th | 7:00 – 9:00 pm (2 hours)
Location
UBC Farm
3461 Ross Drive, Vancouver BC
Cost
$29 Standard ($25 Student) + GST
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By catherine hodgson on May 28, 2019
Research Seminar
Cluster Hire in LFS Applied Biology, Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment, and CSFS at UBC Farm
Novel insights into the coupling of plant structure and hydraulic function: Implications for sustainable crop management
Dr. Thorsten Knipfer
Assistant Project Scientist
Department of Viticulture and Enology
University of California, Davis
Planning for climate change and making agricultural production more sustainable requires a holistic understanding of plant physiological responses across multiple scales. In this seminar, Dr. Knipfer will talk about his ongoing research using in-vivo approaches to study xylem stress physiology and the role of roots and leaves in protecting long-distance transport. Using X-ray computed microtomography, he will present novel insights into the coupling of vessel cavitation and discharge of stored xylem water and the mechanism of embolism repair in intact plants. Subsequently, he will talk about the impact of environmental stress on root structure and hydraulic function, and I will introduce how pressure-probe technology can help us measure these responses. I will conclude by emphasizing the importance of determining stress thresholds at the root, stem, and leaf level for understanding crop performance and developing sustainable management strategies in BC, and the need for high-throughput measurements of plant physiological responses.
When and Where?
- June 12, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- McLeod Building, Room 254
About the Presenter
Dr. Thorsten Knipfer, UC Davis
Dr. Thorsten Knipfer was born in Bavaria, Germany. In 2007, he completed his Diploma at the University of Bayreuth, Germany, working on water uptake of corn roots using pressure-probe technology. Thereafter, he moved to Dublin, Ireland, to start a PhD at the University College Dublin investigating the role of aquaporins in water uptake and their involvement in regulating whole-plant water flow in barley. In 2011, he started a PostDoc at the University of California, Davis, USA, together with Profs. Kenneth Shackel and Mark Matthews. During his research he investigated cellular water relations and water transport dynamics of grape berries. In 2013, he transitioned to Dr. Andrew McElrone’s lab at UC Davis to study xylem hydraulic function using X-ray computed microtomography. In his current position as Assistant Project Scientist at UC Davis, his work focuses on xylem stress physiology and the screening of walnut rootstocks for drought resistance.
This seminar is part of the LFS Applied Biology Faculty Cluster Hire in Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment. Nine short-listed candidates will be giving seminars in May and June as part of their intensive interview process. Click here see a full list of events.
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By catherine hodgson on May 28, 2019
Cluster Hire in LFS Applied Biology, Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment, and CSFS at UBC Farm
Research Seminar: Advancing Sustainable Food Systems in a Changing World
Dr. Selena Ahmed
Assistant Professor
Sustainable Food Systems
Montana State University
A multifaceted challenge of the Anthropocene is supporting healthy diets while conserving ecological resources in socially acceptable ways in a world experiencing climate change. In recognition of this challenge, ethno-biologist Selena Ahmed will present an integrative research framework and supporting case studies that examine the sustainability of food systems at the nexus of global change and resource vulnerability. From the production side of food systems, she will explore how environmental change and agricultural diversification impact crop quality, yields, and farmer livelihoods through case studies of tea in China and maple syrup in North America. From the consumption side of food systems, she will present a food environment case study from an Indigenous community in the United States regarding programs to evaluate and enhance access to local foods from sustainable agricultural systems. This seminar will highlight evidence-based innovations and will conclude with a research vision for advancing sustainable food systems.
When and Where?
- June 6, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- MacMillan Building, Room 258
About the Presenter
Dr. Selena Ahmed, Montana State University
Dr. Selena Ahmed is a transdisciplinary ethno-biologist and Assistant Professor of Sustainable Food Systems at Montana State University with research and outreach interests at the intersection of the ecological, cultural, and health aspects of food systems. The ultimate translational goal of her research program is to strengthen linkages and innovations in the food system from production through consumption and waste towards supporting environmental and human wellbeing. She collaborates with stakeholders in diverse socio-ecological contexts including indigenous communities to apply research findings to develop evidence-based innovations. As an educator, her teaching philosophy is founded on place-based experiential education. The theories and methods driving her research draw from training in chemical ecology and clinical nutrition (NIH TEACRS postdoctoral research at Tufts University); biology, plant sciences, and phytochemistry (PhD at the City University of New York); cultural anthropology and ethnobotany (MSc from the University of Kent at Canterbury); and economics (BA from Barnard College).
This seminar is part of the LFS Applied Biology Faculty Cluster Hire in Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment. Nine short-listed candidates will be giving seminars in May and June as part of their intensive interview process. Click here see a full list of events.
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By catherine hodgson on May 28, 2019
Cluster Hire in LFS Applied Biology, Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment, and CSFS at UBC Farm
Research Seminar: Plants and Pollinators in an Era of Global Change
Dr. Risa Sargent
Associate Professor
Department of Biology
University of Ottawa
Our agricultural systems are at a critical juncture in time where a key ecosystem service, pollination, required for production of up to 75% of the world’s crop plant species, is under threat. Many of the same practices that have driven yield increases over the past century, such as agrochemical use, deforestation/habitat change, tillage, declining on-farm biodiversity, and monoculture are all contributors to pollinator biodiversity decline. In this talk I describe how I apply my background in plant evolutionary ecology to address critical questions about the impacts of global change on wild and crop plant fitness. Finally, I will outline a research program that addresses questions at the interface of pollination biology, global change and agriculture, such as how land use can impact pollination and crop production in urban and suburban agro-ecosystems, how agrochemicals are impacting an important and diverse groups of wild pollinators, and how we can adapt economically important tree crops to the phenological changes in spring phenology, pollination services and/or pest populations that are likely to accompany climate change.
When and Where?
- June 3, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- MacMillan Building, Room 258
About the Presenter
Dr. Risa Sargent, University of Ottawa
Dr. Risa Sargent is interested in the adaptation of wild and agro-ecosystems to global change. She holds a PhD in biology from UBC’s Biodiversity Research Centre where she focused on how interactions with animal pollinators influence the biodiversity of flowering plants. After a NSERC funded PDF at UC Berkeley, where she studied how pollination impacts plant community assembly processes, Risa was hired as an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa. Risa’s current research focuses on applied questions about how changes to plant communities, through processes such as land use (including agriculture), climate change and species invasions impact plant fitness and crop production. Risa’s resarch has been awarded funding from a variety of external sources, including NSERC’s Discovery, University Faculty Award and Strategic Network programs, MITACS, and Ontario’s Early Researcher and Species at Risk programs. Risa has received speaking invitations from around North America and has served as associate editor for the American Naturalist, a top journal in her field, since 2016. Risa regularly organizes events and works on policy changes aimed at improving EDI in science.
This seminar is part of the LFS Applied Biology Faculty Cluster Hire in Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment. Nine short-listed candidates will be giving seminars in May and June as part of their intensive interview process. Click here see a full list of events.
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By catherine hodgson on May 28, 2019
Research Seminar
Cluster Hire in LFS Applied Biology, Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment, and CSFS at UBC Farm
Diversifying Seed Systems
Dr. Claire Luby
Faculty Associate
Department of Horticulture
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Plant breeding can uniquely diversify agricultural systems to respond to varying environmental and social contexts, an essential component of climate change adaptation. However, many modern plant varieties were not developed to succeed in low input agroecological systems, meaning farmers growing in these systems do not necessarily have varieties adapted to their contexts. Combining field-based and molecular genetic research methodologies with the input of local communities, I study how plants adapt to unique agricultural environments. My recent projects have included studying the effect of intellectual property rights on plant genetic diversity, exploring the genetics of carrot domestication, and developing community partnerships with regional Indigenous communities to rematriate historic plant varieties. These projects have the overarching goal of diversifying seed systems. At the University of British Columbia, I would expand these research objectives by collaborating across the research spectrum to develop participatory networks of growers with the goal of diversifying seed systems.
When and Where?
- June 10, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- MacMillan Building, Room 258
About the Presenter
Dr. Claire Luby, University of Wisconsin Madison
Dr. Claire Luby is a Faculty Associate in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research uses plant breeding to diversify agricultural systems, focusing specifically on seed propagated vegetable crops. This research has implications for enhancing seed and food sovereignty, making agricultural systems more resilient in the face of climate change, and improving human health. In her role as an educator, she seeks to help students use systems-thinking to translate what they learn in the classroom and field into creative scientific and community-based approaches to solve agricultural challenges. In addition to her teaching and research, she has applied her community-engaged scholarship to the development of three organizations: The Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI), The Student Organic Seed Symposium, and the Society of Organic Seed Professionals.
This seminar is part of the LFS Applied Biology Faculty Cluster Hire in Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment. Nine short-listed candidates will be giving seminars in May and June as part of their intensive interview process. Click here see a full list of events.
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By catherine hodgson on May 28, 2019
Cluster Hire in LFS Applied Biology, Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment, and CSFS at UBC Farm
Research Seminar: Landscape drivers of agricultural pests and pesticides: Evidence across scales.
Dr. Ashley Larsen
Assistant Professor
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management
University of California, Santa Barbara
Agroecological paradigms suggest that simplified landscapes composed of large, contiguous agricultural fields separated by small fragments of natural land should experience increased insect pest pressure and insecticide use due to a lack of natural enemies and more homogeneous crop resources. Yet, despite decades of research, empirical evidence remains stubbornly inconclusive. In this talk I will explore whether and under what context simplified cropland characterized by lower crop diversity, less non-crop habitat, and larger fields results in increased use of insecticides using several data-driven analyses across multiple spatial scales. Through this data-driven perspective, I provide unique understanding of how different landscape characteristics influence insecticide use over space and time, and generate novel, crop-specific insight into the equivocal empirical literature.
When and Where?
- May 27, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- MacMilllan Building, Room 158
About the Presenter
Dr. Ashley Larsen, UC Santa Barbara
Dr. Ashley Larsen is an assistant professor in the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research focuses on understanding the ecological drivers of agricultural pests and pesticides, and the consequences of pesticides and other intensive production practices for ecological and environmental health. She uses a combination of data-driven techniques from ecology, geography, conservation planning and economics to test ecological principles governing agroecosystems in ways that complement and extend traditional field- and theory-based approaches. She received her PhD in Ecology, Evolution & Marine Biology in 2015 and was a UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow at University of California, Berkeley before joining the Bren faculty in 2016.
This seminar is part of the LFS Applied Biology Faculty Cluster Hire in Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment. Nine short-listed candidates will be giving seminars in May and June as part of their intensive interview process. Click here see a full list of events.
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By catherine hodgson on May 13, 2019
Cluster Hire in LFS Applied Biology, Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment, and CSFS at UBC Farm
Research Seminar:
Strategic Design of Diversified Cropping Systems to Increase Multifunctionality and Improve Grower Livelihoods
Dr. Nicole Tautges
Cropping Systems Research Lead
Agricultural Sustainability Institute
University of California, Davis
Increased consolidation of the agricultural industry has contributed to losses of biodiversity, over-reliance on chemical inputs, and declining crop returns for farm families. The restoration of integrated cropping systems that incorporate perennial and annual, summer and winter, and grain and livestock production types has the potential to restore agroecosystem health. However, diversification must be carried out strategically to preserve grower incomes and the economic sustainability of the farm. My research to date has addressed strategies for cropping system diversification and quantified the benefits of these practices, which include 1) crop rotational diversification for increased weed competition, 2) intercropping for enhanced grain quality, 3) alternative/new crops, and 4) crop-livestock integration with graziers. I propose to build on this work at UBC by investigating cover cropping and grazier incorporation into berry systems, increased use of alfalfa in rotation, and enhanced management of soil biology, via participatory research projects with BC farmers.
When and Where?
- May 23, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- MacMilllan Building, Room 158
About the Presenter
Dr. Nicole Tautges, UC Davis
Dr. Nicole Tautges grew up in southern Wisconsin and consequently loves dairy systems and forages. She double-majored in Agronomy and Spanish at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed her PhD in Crop Science at Washington State University, where she investigated weed and soil fertility management in dryland organic wheat systems. Nicole has conducted on-the-ground research in small grains, corn, beans, forage, processing tomato, and grazing systems, as well as working with Kernza, a new perennial grain crop. Her research focuses on increasing the diversity of crop rotations and landscape cover in agricultural systems using a variety of techniques, including the incorporation of legumes, organic soil amendments (e.g., compost), and grazing into row crop rotations. Current projects include quantification of soil health indicators following repeated compost application, grazing winter cover crops to increase economic feasibility, investigating biochemical drivers of the rotation effect of alfalfa, and a participatory soil health survey of California tomato farms.
This seminar is part of the LFS Applied Biology Faculty Cluster Hire in Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment. Nine short-listed candidates will be giving seminars in May and June as part of their intensive interview process.
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By catherine hodgson on May 9, 2019
Research Seminar: Cluster Hire in LFS Applied Biology, Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment, and CSFS at UBC Farm
Data for decision making about food
Dr. Zia Mehrabi
Research Associate
Institute for Resources Environment and Sustainability
University of British Columbia
We live in a data driven society. But what can data tell us about delivering food for people and the planet? In this talk, Dr. Mehrabi will present a new vision for transforming data for decision-making on food system issues. He will explore new and emerging themes on the challenges facing agriculture and use ideas from his own research on ways we can leverage existing, and future data streams, to make better and more informed decisions on food system interventions, and the impacts they have on society.
When and Where?
- June 25, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- MacMillan Building, Room 350
About the Presenter
Dr. Zia Mehrabi, UBC
Dr. Zia Mehrabi is a Research Associate at the University of British Columbia at The Institute for Resources Environment and Sustainability, The Center for Sustainable Food Systems, and The School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, where he works on the sustainable development, the impacts of climate change, and emerging technology in agricultural systems. He received a BA in Biology, and a DPhil in Food Security from the University of Oxford. He is a contributing author to The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and the Ceres2030 Initiative, a member of the Global Land Programme, and is the working group lead on developing baselines for data driven agronomy for the CGIAR’s Platform for Big Data in Agriculture.
This seminar is part of the LFS Applied Biology Faculty Cluster Hire in Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment. Ten short-listed candidates will be giving seminars in May and June as part of their intensive interview process. Click here see a full list of events.
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