Advancing sustainable food systems in a changing world
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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By catherine hodgson on May 8, 2019
Research Seminar: Cluster Hire in LFS Applied Biology, Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment, and CSFS at UBC Farm
Bridging soil processes and plant-microbiome interactions as a new framework for sustainable food systems: the example of silicon biogeochemistry
Dr. Jean-Thomas Cornelis
Associate Professor
Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech
Université de Liège
Sustainable agriculture practices rely on the understanding of soil processes and associated soil-plant interactions in landscapes impacted by natural and anthropogenic changes. The silicon (Si) cycle interplays with CO2-driven climate change and can play a pivotal role in the food production resilience to environmental changes. While the Si cycle was long seen as being geologically driven, recent research advances revealed a strong biological imprint. Soil-plant interactions govern the terrestrial Si cycle through plant-induced silicate weathering combined to Si biocycling and the return of highly soluble plant-derived Si to the topsoil. By converting inorganic Si into plant-derived Si through soil weathering and Si uptake, plants affect Si mobility in terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we will discuss soil processes governing the interactions between the mineral and biological parts of the Si cycle in the context of global challenges we are facing: to promote climate-smart and environmentally friendly agro-ecosystems that meet food demand.
When and Where?
- June 20, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- MacLeod Building, Room 254
About the Presenter
Dr. Jean-Thomas Cornelis, Université de Liège
Dr. Jean-Thomas Cornelis is an Assistant Professor of Soil Science at ULiege (Belgium). He received his PhD in soil science in 2010 (UCLouvain, Belgium) and was FNRS postdoctoral Fellow at UBC in 2011. His research investigates soil processes controlling biogeochemical cycles of nutrients and how soil-plant feedback interactions respond to environmental changes. His process-based approach focuses on the soil system, which by definition integrates processes at different scales and with different disciplines. Jean-Thomas aims to strengthen the leading position of soil conservation to meet the challenge of a sustainable agriculture. He takes as an advantage the complexity and diversity of soil processes to teach students the notion of critical thinking and complex thought. Daddy of two little boys, outdoor enthusiast, big fan of surrealism, he loves to brainstorm new ideas and has always been passionate by philosophy of science and ethical consideration of emerging technologies.
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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By catherine hodgson on May 7, 2019
Research Seminar: Cluster Hire in LFS Applied Biology, Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment, and CSFS at UBC Farm
A retrospective of a plant pathologist: from the pathogen study to the host-pathogen interaction to breeding for resistance
Dr. Gurcharn Singh Brar
Research Officer
Crop Development Centre/Department of Plant Science
University of Saskatchewan
The research presentation will highlight three research studies from Dr. Brar’s research program on pathogens of wheat. Specifically, he will address two of the five most important wheat diseases (stripe rust and Fusarium head blight) in Canada and worldwide. Globally, these two pathogens are responsible for over US$5 billion monetary loss. Stripe rust is an emerging threat to wheat production in Canada for the last two decades and Fusarium head blight is by far the most challenging disease to manage and has been present in Canada for many decades. The presentation will give an overview of novel research findings on wheat stripe rust pathogen populations from Canada, use of cutting-edge imaging technologies to study wheat-Fusarium graminearum interactions, and resistance breeding efforts to combat the disease.
When and Where?
- June 17, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Macleod Building, Room 254
About the Presenter
Dr. Gurcharn Brar, University of Saskatchewan
Dr. Gurcharn Brar is a Research Officer at the Crop Development Centre in the Department of Plant Science of the University of Saskatchewan. He obtained his PhD from the same department in March 2019. Originally from Punjab, India, Gurcharn came to Canada to pursue an MSc after obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Honors in Crop Protection) degree from the renowned Punjab Agricultural University, India. Gurcharn’s graduate training focused on the study of plant pathogens, genetics/genomics of pathogen populations, genetics of host-pathogen interactions, resistance breeding, and plant imaging obtained through the University of Saskatchewan, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, National Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Light Source, and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre. Currently, Gurcharn is working in the areas of gene cloning and functional pathogenomics with collaborators from across Canada, the USA, the UK, and Australia. Gurcharn aspires to become an independent researcher in a public institution and to continue to explore the interactions of crops with their pathogens/pests, and to help crop breeders to improve crops for the future.
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 morgan hamilton on May 3, 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 Salloum on May 1, 2019
NPR Feature: California Farmers Try New Strategy To Cut Carbon
NPR recently did an interview featuring Kate Scow, a member of the CSFS Diversified Agroecosystem Research Cluster. The article shows the relationship between cover crops and soil health and explains how farmers in California are using that relationship as means of controlling carbon emissions in the state.
“Soil is alive. There’s farmers that know that. The deeper you can get [carbon] in the soil, like, especially below the plow layer, the more stable and secure it’s going to be.” – Kate Scow, Cluster Member, UC Davis.
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