University of British Columbia
IN-3: Innovation 3

The Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm aims to understand and fundamentally transform local and global food systems towards a more sustainable, food secure future. Through a wide range of interdisciplinary learning, research, food production, and community engagement programs, the Centre acts as a living laboratory committed to finding solutions to food system sustainability challenges and translating these solutions to improve personal, community, and environmental health.

The 24-hectare Centre provides a globally unique research and teaching platform where social, economic, and environmental interventions can be designed, tested, and monitored within a living food system. Faculty and student research and teaching opportunities span the whole seed-to-plate continuum while integrating a multitude of disciplines, sectors, and partnerships. Research conducted at the Centre focuses on developing and testing new technologies to achieve sustainable food systems; transforming society’s relationship with the land; and enhancing value chain innovation from seed to plate to achieve greater health and value of our food.

The Centre also embodies the concept of campus as an agent of social change, where learners of all ages can immerse themselves in the stewardship of a working, productive landscape. The Centre offers a diverse range of education and public engagement programs for children, indigenous people, prospective farmers, and the community. Through its farm production, on-site farmers markets, and institutional farm-to-campus programs, the Centre demonstrates and advances sustainable food systems both on campus and beyond.

The integration of these food production, community engagement, and research and teaching activities provides a rare platform where food sustainability policies and practices are assessed, designed, and implemented. The Centre is a globally significant prototyping site for exportable solutions relevant to industry, farmers and communities worldwide.

The Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm integrates interdisciplinary academic, community, and production programs to explore and exemplify healthy and sustainable food systems, engaging 60,000 students, staff, faculty, volunteers, community members and visitors each year. Outcomes include the following:

• More than 3,000 students, through 60 courses, across 10 different UBC Faculties and Schools collaborate with the Centre on curricular activities ranging from community service learning, SEEDS Sustainability program applied campus research projects, immersive internships and on-site lectures. http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/research-teaching/
• 12 active research programs in collaboration with academic, industry and community partners on issues ranging from agricultural climate change adaptation, honey bee collapse disorder causes and solutions, culturally relevant land-based urban Aboriginal wellness programs, to seed saving research and crop development. http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/research-teaching/research/
• Online Project Library provides access to decades of publications, reports, posters, and related materials from research conducted at the Centre. http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/research-teaching/library/
• The Farm’s sustainably cultivated fields grow over 200 varieties of fruits, vegetables, and herbs, yielding 60,000 pounds of food per year, sold at 3 farmers markets and over a dozen on-campus and off-campus dining establishments. http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/food-production/
• 100-member Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program supplies campus and community members with a weekly box of fresh produce grown locally with organic methods from the UBC Farm. http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/food-production/csa/
• 3 Children’s environmental education programs, including FarmWonders, a community education initiative committed to promoting environmental awareness through science-based farm learning, and the Intergenerational Landed Learning Project, a collaboration with the Faculty of Education, now in its 13th year, which brings elementary school classes and their teachers to the farm throughout one full academic year for an immersive experience, guided by farm staff, educators, and elders from the community. http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/community/childrens-programs/
• 4 food and health Indigenous initiatives, including the Musqueam Garden, Maya in Exile Garden, Tu’wusht Project, and Indigenous Health Research and Education Garden. In 2013 alone, these initiatives brought over 4,500 visits to the Farm and engaged more than 300 UBC students through class visits, group projects, graduate research, and directed studies. http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/community/indigenous-initiatives/
• Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture 8-month experiential learning program educates aspiring farmers, urban gardeners, environmental educators, and students with an interest in applying their learning about sustainable agriculture and food systems. http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/community/practicum-in-sustainable-agriculture/
• The Centre’s Farm-to-Institution Program develops lessons and dissemination material that equip growers, suppliers, and institutions to initiate farm-to-institution partnerships, thereby directly helping the development of policies and practices to increase local, sustainable food procurement. http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/tag/farm-to-institution/
• Farm-to-Healthcare local food procurement project engages multiple stakeholders to develop a model to bring local, sustainable, healthy food to UBC Hospital patients, a first of its kind in BC. http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/tag/farm-to-hospital/

For a full list of initiatives and programs, please refer to the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems website at: http://ubcfarm.ubc.ca/.