Building Resilience: The UBC Farm’s Strategic Plan to Transform Food Systems
In the face of multiple crises converging on the way we grow, distribute and eat food, the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems (CSFS) at the UBC Farm is responding with a new plan to facilitate change. Launched in February, this new five-year strategic plan outlines a comprehensive response to develop solutions and resilience to the pressing challenges facing our food systems.
“Our food systems are under unprecedented strain,” says Dr. Sean Smukler, Director of the CSFS at the UBC Farm and Associate Professor, Chair of Agriculture and Environment in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. “A rapidly changing climate and fragile supply chains threaten equitable access to food, while our current agricultural practices degrade our environment. Effective solutions will require transforming the way we think about and approach these problems. Our new strategic plan is designed to help us do this to enhance our resilience and address these crises head-on.”
The new plan seeks to focus impact in four key areas: food security, climate, biodiversity, and decolonization.
“We are just at the beginning of the path of decolonization,” says Clare Cullen, CSFS at UBC Farm Operations Director. “We
recognize that we have a lot of work to do,” she says, pointing out that the CSFS has committed to implementing UBC’s Indigenous Strategic Plan and will be integrating Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigeneity into every facet of their work—
from research and teaching to community programs.
Dr. Smukler adds that the CSFS’s new strategic plan is not only a roadmap but also a call to action. “We cannot reach our
ambitious goals alone,” he says. “We invite others to join us. The role of the CSFS is to facilitate and focus collaboration.
Together, we can make a greater impact.”
The plan is the culmination of a year of consultation and feedback, and identifies five key strategic areas aimed at driving
transformative change.
Find out more information at the UBC Farm site.
Tagged with: 2024, Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, UBC Farm
