Setting Two World Records of Tomato Production in Greenhouses

May 5, 2020

Setting Two World Records of Tomato Production in Greenhouses

Name	Melina Biron
Title	Greenhouse Research Manager
Company	Plant Care Services, UBC
Program	Bachelor of Science
Major	Plant Science

What motivates you to volunteer?

May 5, 2020 – As an alumna of LFS, it gives me great pleasure to give back for all the support and mentoring I received as a student. I had two outstanding mentors, Karen Needham, a forensic entomologist (now a curator at Beaty Biodiversity Museum), who really helped me understand the world of entomology, and Dr. Bob Copeman, a plant physiologist who is now retired (Professor Emeritus in Plant Science at LFS). I’ve stayed in contact with him through my whole career, honestly! Now I have a pretty specialized skill set which I feel is beneficial to share, for any students that are interested in controlled environment agriculture.

How do you feel benefit by volunteering?

The biggest thing that I can bring to students is a stronger awareness of plant physiology and responsiveness to environmental factors, where students may have a very simplistic view of a plant in space and time. I help bring the awareness of how that plant is engaging with the environment around, and how that environment is helping to shape the growth behaviour of the plant – something students don’t get in plant physiology classes. So I find that rewarding.

What is one message that you would like to share with students about how they can prepare for the world of work?

To get as much experience in as many fields of interest as possible before jumping full into a position!

How did you envision your career journey would be when you started university?

Very different than it turned out! I started at UBC planning to be a veterinarian and then changed my mind in second year after much experience in the field and with the help of a really great advisor in Animal Science. I decided it wasn’t right for me, and went with my other interest, which was plants. A big change, as the kingdoms are pretty different! I never envisioned I would end up one of the few female head greenhouse growers in the world.

Share one example of how your LFS degree experience has enabled you to differentiate yourself from other professionals?

I feel that my degree in plant science gave me reasoning skills to solve issues. I was taught to look at issues and use these skills to assess all the variables to find the right solution. So many times I was the one who offered the decision that ended up being accepted. I also had what seemed to be a stronger vocabulary when talking with colleagues. I felt UBC gave me all the right tools to succeed in the workplace and through life.

What is something that you are proud of that you have accomplished in your career?

I set a world record of production in greenhouse Tomato on the Vine, as a Canadian woman in a very male-dominated world. I did it twice, so I broke my own record! First in 2010, then again in 2012. As I said, female growers are rare, and I succeeded above and beyond at it. I never had to look for work once I entered the industry…jobs were offered to me.

Tagged with: Alumni, Plant Science

Tagged with Alumni, Plant Science
Categories: Profile Alumni, Profiles

Alumni: Pivoting Their Businesses during COVID-19

May 4, 2020

Alumni: Pivoting Their Businesses during COVID-19

The COVID-19 situation has affected almost every industry around the world. We checked in with three Faculty of Land and Food Systems entrepreneurs in Vancouver, to see how they are adapting their food and beverage businesses in these times.

Mauricio Lozano, Master of Food Science, 2009

Mauricio Lozano

Faculty Brewing Co. – www.facultybrewing.com

Mauricio Lozano, founder of Faculty Brewing Co., was ahead of the game when he decided to begin limiting the capacity in his tasting room in early March. “We realized we were part of the problem, as it was difficult to ensure physical distancing in a place that was designed for conversation,” said Lozano. In anticipation of reduced foot traffic, Lozano launched an online store on his website. Customers were able to have their craft beer delivered to their homes, but there were struggles with limited staff to deliver over a large geographical area.

“Over the years I’ve made great connections with other breweries in the city, and because we were all facing similar problems, we decided to pool our resources and find an innovative solution.”

That solution was www.beervan.ca, launched on March 22. BeerVan allows customers to order products from multiple breweries and beverage producers in the same order, and have everything delivered together. With more resources at their disposal, BeerVan was able to send out more drivers (including staff who would otherwise have worked in the breweries) and deliver to more cities in Metro Vancouver.

“I’m thrilled with the success of BeerVan so far. It has allowed me to keep most of my staff employed and maintain a revenue stream.”

Elana Evans, Master of Science in Soil Science, 2018

Maddy Clerk and Elana Evans. Photo by Ayla Amano

City Beet Farm – www.citybeetfarm.com

Elana Evans and Maddy Clerk have been the co-owners of City Beet Farm since 2016, an urban farm operating on the front lawns and backyards on 14 properties in Vancouver, 0.5 acre in total. Produce is exchanged with homeowners on a weekly basis, as well as with eighty-two members of their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.

“With the growing season underway, we’ve had to implement new practices into our operations in response to the pandemic,” Evans said. “We clean and disinfect surfaces of tools, equipment and frequently touched items around yards regularly. We’ve also limited the amount of people on our farms at any given time, by postponing tours and reducing volunteer hours.”

In previous summers, CSA members could pick up their weekly produce in a market setting, providing a unique opportunity for consumers to interact directly with food growers. Unfortunately, this year City Beet Farm will be moving to a contactless method starting in June when the produce boxes are ready. The details are still in the works.

“This situation has highlighted the fragility of our current food system and the importance of local production. We are learning that in order to survive as a business in this time it is crucial that we remain adaptive, flexible and responsive. Connecting with other businesses and organizations, offering support where we can and being open to change is what resilience looks like.”

Edmond Keung, Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition and Health (Food Market Analysis), 2009

Edmond Keung

Moving Coffee – www.movingcoffee.com

A husband and wife team, Edmond Keung and Shirley Tang are coffee aficionados who began their business in Hong Kong before moving to Vancouver in 2016. They source specialty grade coffee beans from around the world, which they run through a trial-and-error process to find the perfect roast profile to bring out its characteristics. They are among the less than 100 Q-Graders in Canada – individuals with the sensory and coffee knowledge to evaluate the quality of green coffee.

“We’ve had to close our retail coffee bar, where we served espresso-based beverages and filter brewed coffees, as well as whole bean coffee,” said Keung. “Instead, we’ve shifted our focus to online sales. We’re now offering free local deliveries in Vancouver, and shipping across Canada.”

Globally, the coffee bean industry is still adapting to the pandemic, and consumers may notice an increase in cost in the future as farm workers face travel restrictions and less workers are allowed in the fields. Shipment of the final product overseas will also likely face delays.

Still, Keung is finding new ways to connect with customers virtually. “We’ve started a YouTube channel, where we’re sharing some best practices on how we brew our coffees.” You view their videos here.

Tagged with: 2020, Alumni, Food Nutrition and Health, Food Science, Soil Science

Tagged with 2020, Alumni, Food Nutrition and Health, Food Science, Soil Science
Categories: News

Celebrating National Volunteer Week with Seasoned Mentor, Paul Molund

April 24, 2020

Celebrating National Volunteer Week with Seasoned Mentor, Paul Molund

Name	Paul Molund
Title
Company	Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Grad Year	1985
Program	PhD, Food Science
Major	Food Science

April 24, 2020 – In honour of National Volunteer Week (April 19-25), we checked in with Paul Molund, an alumnus who is also one of many amazing volunteers who give back to the Faculty. Paul has been a mentor for the LFS Mentorship Program for many years, contributing to the resounding success of the program.

What motivates you to volunteer?

There’s a whole bunch of reasons! To see the look on people’s faces, when they have somebody who actually listens to them. I try to give them the space to open up and think about possibilities. You know, I’ve never been a parent, and not having had kids, I don’t talk to them like a parent; I talk to them as if I’m meeting a friend.

My main motivation for this is that I lost my wife about twelve and a half years ago, and so it’s in her memory that I do this. It was a very tough thing, losing her. So not only did I feel that I was helping other people, but I was helping myself.

Are there other ways that you feel you benefit by volunteering?

I feel that I’m getting better and better at this! I’ve mentored at least 100 people: professional people, people in university, people who have graduated, and I’ve helped them in their life journey. And that’s been really rewarding. It ends up being like a purpose for me. I feel like it’s a great reason why I get up in the morning, with a smile, and think, “who can I help today?”

What is one message you would like to share with students about how they can prepare for the world of work?

I want them to look more deeply. I believe there are things in our personality and our life that point the way that we are headed. The biggest thing in the last three or four years (I’ve been mentoring about nine years now) is that I’ve noticed how many young women don’t have confidence in themselves, yet they are just amazing! I try to help them recognize that for them to have even got in to UBC and do the studies that they’ve put in, you know, that it’s an amazing job they do. I help them start to think positively about their abilities and what they bring to the world. And I think it’s really been life-changing for many of them.

How did you envision your own career journey would be when you started university?

When I was in my early 20s, when I was their age, I had a sense of where my life was going to go, and so I had these visions of, I’m going to do this, I’m going do that. And I can say that almost none of it came true—[laughing] almost nothing! Not the way that I ever perceived that it would be. However, it turned out really, really wonderful! I mean, I have no regrets. I probably could have done many things differently, and better. But the reality is, the way that’s it’s taken off, it’s all good.

How did that career journey actually take off?

I wanted to be a professor, and that’s why I did a PhD at UBC in Food Science. I was one year behind Rickey [Dean Rickey Yada]. So we both did our PhDs together, but Rickey ended up doing the career that I thought I was going to be doing, and I ended up doing food product development for two years, taught at BCIT, worked for Health Canada, and then worked for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

What is something that you are proud of that you have accomplished in your career?

When you go into a company as a food inspector, doing an audit, most companies are afraid of you because you have the power to shut them down. But my style of doing it was to wear my “education hat” about 90% of the time; more than my “enforcement hat”. After the first 10 minutes, they’d realize that I’m actually there to help them. Over the years, I had many, many companies phone me to advise them. I had their confidence, so I was able to work with them to help improve the quality and safety of the food supply in Canada.

Tagged with: 2020, Alumni, Food Science

Tagged with 2020, Alumni, Food Science
Categories: News, Profiles

Dean’s Message on Earth Day

April 22, 2020

Dean’s Message on Earth Day

Today marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Its arrival during COVID-19 brings many thoughts to mind for me.

What progress have we made since 1970 to sustain our environment? Is this a signal to us that slowing economic activity, however painful, allows us to reset even a little?

In the first question, science has made leaps and bounds since 1970. We are able to measure with ever-more accuracy the impact of human activity on our planet and its inhabitants: satellite images have shown shifting coastlines over decades, software can measure and calculate atmospheric gases rising from farms and natural ecosystems – these are just some of the advancements available to us as a university.

While the science has moved forward, we also need to consider the social element of change. As a society, we need to weigh progress and/or economic benefit with potential downsides of activity that can bring harm to the environment.

Which brings me to the second question. There are signs that nature has been on the rebound, so to speak, during COVID-19 as business has grinded to a halt, and as car traffic and air travel have been drastically reduced.

One striking example is that within two weeks of the lockdown in India, the Himalayan mountain range came into view for those living in Jalandhar, northern India, which is about 200 kilometers away. According to the Times of India, typically only after a rainfall could the Himalayan mountains be seen from Jalandhar, and often only the peaks.

We cannot make wide assumptions, but if we are looking for any silver lining during COVID-19, this is at least one.

Here in LFS, there will be interesting discussions when we return to our research labs and when classes are in back in session, post-COVID-19. We are always seeking to understand the linkages between human activity and the impact on Earth and its resources.

During this unique time, I want to wish everyone a happy Earth Day. Let’s all pause and think about what inspires us to care for our planet.

Please take care and stay safe.

Rickey Yada

Professor and Dean

Tagged with: 2020, Staff

Tagged with 2020, Staff
Categories: News

UBC Farm Update

April 22, 2020

UBC Farm Update

The UBC Farm is closed to the public, due to the ongoing response to COVID-19 in Canada and around the world. Most of our staff are working remotely and we have cancelled upcoming programs and events, including the 2020 UBC Farm Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture, which was due to start this month. Only essential UBC Farm food cultivation and distribution staff are on-site, as well as those caring for the Indigenous gardens and essential research projects, all adhering to our health and safety guidelines.

We are planning to expand our CSA program this year, and we are working on creative solutions to make our produce available to our community. Our produce is currently available to order for pickup through Stable House and delivery with Oyster & King.

It’s a challenging time for almost everyone around the world. It’s also a good time to reflect on and support the resiliency of our local food system. Many people are increasingly turning to growing their own food and baking and cooking from scratch. To support our community, we are sharing food systems resources on the BC Food Web and are sharing recipes, gardening tips, and farm tours on Facebook and Instagram, with expert webinars on a range of topics to come. We are also working to make online versions of some of our beloved programs, such as the Community Kitchens. Stay tuned to ubcfarm.ubc.ca for updates.

Tagged with: 2020, Staff, UBC Farm

Tagged with 2020, Staff, UBC Farm
Categories: News

Brennen Gilbert

April 20, 2020

Brennen Gilbert

About

	Undergraduate
Degree	Bachelor of Science in Global Resource Systems
Major	Environmental Sustainability
Hometown	New Westminster, BC, Canada

Meet, Brennen! His passion for environmental sustainability drew him to the Faculty of Land and Food Systems where his classes, professors and advisors have helped shape his academic and non-academic experiences in ways he didn't expect. Brennen is always up for trying new things, and knows how exciting (and sometimes scary) that can be. This is why he has given back to our Faculty as a Senior Orientation Leader in the past, and continues to be actively involved on campus.

What are three adjectives that describe you?

Optimistic, quirky, and (always) hungry

What is the greatest advantage of studying in a smaller Faculty at UBC?

Since there are (relatively) so few of us, it makes it way easier to see fellow LFS-ers in your other classes or just on campus in general. Plus, it means more 1-on-1 help from faculty! The amount of personal growth I’ve witnessed, both in myself and others, since joining this community is unbelievable. The UBC, and especially LFS experience, is so enriching. Between all the people you will meet and all the support you can receive, you can’t do better than LFS.

Why did you choose Land One, the first-year cohort program with our friends in the Faculty of Forestry?

As a first-generation university student, I never really had anyone I could talk to with experiences of what the post-secondary life was like. I didn’t have a clue what a “faculty” or “major” was, I didn’t know the difference between lectures/tutorials/labs, and I sure didn’t know anyone on campus. So when I received a personal message from LFS Student Services explaining this opportunity called Land One, which consists of smaller class sizes, customized timetables to aid with registration, and a cohort to develop better relationships with my peers, I knew it was exactly what I needed to succeed with first year and my university transition. Fernanda Tomaselli who taught LFS 110 (an introductory Land One seminar course), is one of the professors who has had the biggest impact on my experience here in LFS. She was always willing to help her students succeed and went above and beyond as a professor!

What impact have your extracurricular experiences outside of your academics had on you?

Two of my favourite extracurriculars that I have been a part of during my time at UBC are Zumba (though UBC Rec) and UBC’s Musical Theatre Troupe (MTT). I had NO experience in either of these activities before university, but through some spontaneous decisions I’ve come to really enjoy both of them! My message here is to just to try new things- trust me, you won’t regret it. I think extracurriculars are super relevant to both the undergraduate and after-graduation experience. Take networking for example: many people think that networking can only be done during specific “networking events” that regularly occur throughout the year. However, I’ve found that almost everyone in my network is from either classes or extracurriculars, and they can open you up to new experiences. For example, I was in a meeting for a musical last year, when I decided to approach the set designer and ask him if he wanted help with any projects (I had experience using tools, but not making sets.) One term later and I am the assistant set designer for our musical, and I love the position! It gives me something to look forward to each week, which is an invaluable asset for a student to have.

For new students, what advice would you give them about making use of resources at UBC?

Coming to university, I felt like I was struggling a lot in my first-year calculus course, to the point that I failed my first midterm (it wasn't good). This really opened up my eyes because I realized that if I wanted to succeed, I would need to reach out for help, which is something I had always refused to do prior. What I ended up doing was going to the Math Learning Centre (sometimes called the MLC or LC), which is a place where you can find peers in the same course who are also looking for help and the group of you can work together or get help from tutors together. I can directly credit my later success in the course to me deciding to reach out and get help from the MLC, which is something I ended up doing for my other classes by using the Chemistry and Biology LCs. Don't be afraid to ask for help!

Interested in studying in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems? Learn more here!

Tagged with: 2020, Global Resource Systems, Undergraduate

Tagged with 2020, Global Resource Systems, Undergraduate
Categories: Profile Undergraduate, Profiles

Finding a Job Through Interpersonal Skills Built at LFS!

April 8, 2020

Finding a Job Through Interpersonal Skills Built at LFS!

Name	Jenny Lu
Title	Administrative Assistant
Company	St. John's College, UBC
Program	Bachelor of Science in Global Resource Systems
Major

What is one message you would like to share with students about how they can prepare in their undergraduate years for the world of work?

April 8, 2020 – Embrace group work and community-engaged projects 🙂 Also, value your relationships! Yes, there will be stressful situations and frustrating working relationships, but what they call the “real world” is full of interdisciplinary teams and collaborations. It really is a privilege to have this kind of training built into our [Global Resource Systems] program in LFS, and it gives both an “edge” as well as greater confidence.

How does your current work/position connect to your LFS experience?

While people often joke about how my current job doesn’t seem to relate to my degree studying food systems (What do you mean? Everything is connected! [systems thinking!]), I actually got this job because of my LFS background! I am part of the team at St. John’s College, a grad student residence at UBC, where I support admin and finance, as well as work on community-engaged projects relating to Chinese Canadian history and heritage with Professor Henry Yu and his team. I was a student in Prof Yu’s Global Seminar class: ACAM 390A The Heritage of Chinese Migration, focusing on the food and ag practices of Chinese farmers who came to Canada, and grew the majority of the fresh produce we ate in this province in the early 1900s – and still do today. I went on to being a teaching assistant for this course the following year, and then got this job working at SJC! I apply a lot of my experience from LFS in group work, interdisciplinary collaboration, and working with community partners – invaluable skills.

Share one specific way your LFS experience has provided value in your career or in the workplace.

Experience with group work and community-engaged projects! These things form a bulk of my current work – working with different units on campus, collaborating with local museums and organizations in Chinatown. It has also been an asset in TA-ing, and making connections with community partners.

Share one example of how your LFS degree experience has enabled you to differentiate yourself from other professionals.

In addition to (or perhaps because of) my experience with community work, I would say the capacity and desire to work and communicate with empathy. I appreciate that empathy was both discussed as a topic in many of my classes in LFS in the context of making change in the food system while truly listening and hearing one another, as well as practiced through the opportunities to collaborate with diverse stakeholders and community members that are built into the LFS program. I think when you carry yourself with empathy, it makes working and connecting with anyone in any work and life environment both much smoother (not easier) and much more meaningful.

What is something that you are proud of that you have accomplished in your career?

With my friend, fellow GRSer, and co-TA Marcus Jung, we planned the trip for the ACAM 390A Global Seminar in 2019, which took a class of 18 students to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia over 16 days. I felt so proud seeing our students grow, learn, and become inspired to learn more about Asian Canadian history and heritage, the role of food in culture, and their own cultural heritage and role in the community.

Tagged with: Alumni, Global Resource Systems

Tagged with Alumni, Global Resource Systems
Categories: Profile Alumni, Profiles

COVID-19 Information for Land and Food Systems

March 18, 2020

COVID-19 Information for Land and Food Systems

Updated May 17, 2021

This page contains information for faculty and staff, and some student resources below; it will be updated regularly following advice from UBC and the provincial and federal health agencies.

If you would like to add a resource to this page, please email karen.lee98@ubc.ca.

2021 Summer Session – Term 1 and Term 2 updates

The 2021 Summer Session will be online in both Term 1 (May – June 2021) and Term 2 (July – August 2021), meaning all classes taught in the Faculty of Land & Food Systems will be hosted online and students will not have to be in Vancouver.

2021 Winter Session – Term 1 and Term 2 updates

UBC is planning for a return to on-campus activities in Term 1 (Sept. – Dec. 2021) and Term 2 (Jan. – April 2022). UBC is working under the guidance of the Provincial Health Officer and the health authorities in planning, and all parties are committed to remaining flexible as we monitor the situation over the coming months. Fall course planning is taking place with the safety of students, faculty and staff as a top priority. For the latest updates, visit https://covid19.ubc.ca/.

Reoccupancy Information as UBC Returns to Research

The LFS Research Resumption and Planning Committee has been spearheading the reoccupancy plans to support research activities, using guidelines from UBC, B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer, and health authorities. If you are returning to campus as part of the research phase-in, please ensure you review the mandatory training, the check-in/check-out and other procedures. All information can be found here:
https://my.landfood.ubc.ca/operations/lfs-covid-19-reoccupancy-information/

Building Access: FNH and MCML by card only

The MacMillan and Food, Nutrition and Health buildings are accessible only by card access and they are open from 7am-6pm. They remain closed to the public. Arrangements will be made to ensure courier and other critical services are maintained. Any concerns or special arrangements can be made through: LFS-MCM-OPS@LISTS.UBC.CA

• At FNH, the only entrance door by FOB is the main entrance on East Mall.
• At MCML, the entrance doors by FOB are the main entrance on Main Mall, and the entrance by loading bay.

Faculty and Staff – Resources for remote teaching and working

Workplace Preferences Survey:
Thank you to the LFS faculty and staff who filled out the Workplace Preferences Survey by March 3. This survey gave you an opportunity to share feedback on your experiences in the workplace during COVID-19 – whether you are working remotely or on-site – as well as your perspectives on what you’d like your workplace to look like in the future. UBC HR will be providing more guidelines based on the preferences survey by mid-June.

Zoom video conferencing:
UBC has a campus-wide license for Zoom as a platform for delivering courses online and to hold larger meetings. Zoom is an easy-to-use video conferencing platform that offers a wide range of features:
• Visit UBC IT to set up access for teaching or meetings.

Information on remote teaching:
• Learning Centre’s Remote Teaching Resources
• keepteaching.ubc.ca/

Information for remote working:
• lc.landfood.ubc.ca/checklist-for-working-remotely/
• www.hr.ubc.ca/faculty-staff-resources/telecommuting/
• it.ubc.ca/ubc-it-guide-working-campus

For UBC Farm employees — Connecting to the VPN and UBC Farm Server:
For employees who need to access the UBC Farm Server remotely from a home computer or work laptop, you should always connect via the VPN to ensure a secure connection. Then, you can access the Farm server as well as your personal “H” drive.
• View instructions for connecting to VPN
• View instructions on how to connect to the Farm server

UBC support and resources for all faculty and staff:
• covid19.ubc.ca (FAQs & Resources from UBC, government, World Health Organization)
• www.hr.ubc.ca/covid-19/ (for managers and supervisors)

Please contact the Learning Centre (it@landfood.ubc.ca) if you need additional technical support.

Useful Links

• Information on COVID-19 from Vancouver Coastal Health

• Information on COVID-19 from the BC Centre for Disease Control

Resources for students

Undergraduate students – LFS Student Services is providing online support for undergraduate students during this time. To reach the appropriate advisor, visit the Student Services webpage at lfs-ps-2023.sites.olt.ubc.ca/student-services/ or send a general inquiry to students@landfood.ubc.ca. Visit this page for updates.

Graduate students – the Graduate Program office staff is also currently providing remote support for graduate students, and is available via email for inquiries and advice. To reach the LFS Graduate Program staff, you can email Lia-Maria Dragan (lia.maria@ubc.ca) or Sean Smukler (sean.smukler@ubc.ca).

UBC is constantly updating information for students about COVID-19, so please visit these sites for more information:
• covid19.ubc.ca/information-for-students/
• Health and Wellbeing during the COVID-19 outbreak
• www.grad.ubc.ca/covid-19

LFS Today – daily, internal newsletter

LFS Today will be used to communicate important information directly to your inbox. If you are not already subscribed, please email lfs.today@ubc.ca.

Tagged with: 2020, Staff

Tagged with 2020, Staff
Categories: News

Larger farms benefit farmers but not consumers

March 6, 2020

Larger farms benefit farmers but not consumers

March 6, 2020

A study by Frederik Noack, Assistant Professor in the Food and Resource Economics Group in Land and Food Systems, and Ashley Larsen, Assistant Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara, reviews the effect of increasing rural farm size on food security.

Why is this study important?

Reducing global poverty and striving for zero hunger are among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

Assistant Professor Frederik Noack from UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems and his research collaborator, Assistant Professor Ashley Larsen from the University of California, Santa Barbara, analyzed the impact between farm size in developing countries on both the livelihood of individual farmers and on the local food supply.

Much of the past research in development economics has focused on providing small-scale farmers with other non-farming sources of income to help alleviate poverty, which can result in larger and more consolidated farms.

Noack and Larsen wanted to find out whether these larger farms could impact access to food for consumers in poor countries, and affect the already-fragile food system.

Small-scale farming has attracted policy and research attention as these farms are the primary source of both food and income for the majority of people living in developing countries. Previous studies show that more than 70% of farms in poor countries are less than two hectares in size and many are managed by families.

What were the results?

From 2009 to 2014, the researchers reviewed annual survey data from 3200 households in Uganda, Africa, that provided insight into annual growing seasons.

Their research titled The contrasting effects of farm size on farm incomes and food production, published in Environmental Research Letters, measures how farm size affects the level and stability of agricultural incomes for individual farmers and the level and stability of the food supply.

Individual farmer incomes and their consumption levels – driven by greater income – improves if they have larger farms. In addition, their incomes also become more stable as the larger farms enable diversification of food production, thus stabilizing their incomes. The benefit to the rural farmer is definitely positive.

In contrast, the benefit to consumers is negative. Output per unit of land declines with increasing farm size.

At the aggregate level, consumers would face lower and more variable food supply. This is due to farmers accessing similar technology, growing more similar crops, and therefore having more similar outcomes than a large number of smaller farms.

If in 2013, the median farm in Uganda had increased from 0.9 to 1.8 hectares, the approximate output per unit of land would have reduced by 50%. For farmers, their farm income would have risen by 5% and their income variance would have been reduced by 8%.

This would be good for the individual farmer, but not for the larger community.

What could be the impact?

Previously, research and government policy looked at farm size and production or at finding ways for farmers to obtain income from non-agricultural sources. The results from this study cautions that policies supporting farm consolidation can have negative consequences for consumers. It may be important to consider other policies, such as the provision of improved technologies or better access to credit markets to support technological adoption to increase both farmers’ incomes and food production simultaneously.

To read The contrasting effects of farm size on farm incomes and food production, click here.

Interested in Food and Resource Economics (FRE) research? Check out the website here!

Tagged with: 2020, Faculty, Food and Resource Economics

Tagged with 2020, Faculty, Food and Resource Economics
Categories: News, Research

UBC Dietetics & Medicine Students Collaborate in Vij’s Kitchen

February 28, 2020

UBC Dietetics & Medicine Students Collaborate in Vij’s Kitchen

On February 26, 2020, UBC dietetics and medical students took part in an extracurricular, interprofessional cooking event in Vij’s Kitchen.

“In this inaugural event, UBC dietetic and medical students learned about hypertension while preparing and tasting a delicious DASH-based meal (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)” said Gail Hammond, an instructor in the Food, Nutrition and Health program. “LFS looks forward to more of these powerful interprofessional experiential collaborations between UBC health students.”

Tagged with: 2020, Dietetics, Food Nutrition and Health, Undergraduate

Tagged with 2020, Dietetics, Food Nutrition and Health, Undergraduate
Categories: News