Session 5 – Field Trip: UBC Farm

Key Terms & Concepts

• Multifunctionality
• Agroecology
• Concept Map

Objectives

After completing this session, you should be able to:

• Get yourself to the Farm!
• Describe the various components of the UBC farm from personal experience
• Articulate the multifunctionality of the UBC Farm and why “no one thing does just one thing!”
• Define agroecology and identify its key principles

Required Readings and Resources

• Kerr, R. B., Rahmanian, M., Owoputi, I., & Batello, C. (2019). Agroecology and Nutrition: Transformative Possibilities and Challenges. In Sustainable Diets: Linking Nutrition and Food Systems (Eds. Burlingame, B. A., Dernini, S.). Boston, MA; Wallingford, Oxfordshire: CABI. pp. 53-63.

Centre for Sustainable Food Systems and UBC Farm

First, a distinction:

• As part of the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, the UBC Farm is the 24-ha area designated as academic reserve land on South Campus.
• The Centre for Sustainable Food Systems is an academic centre within the Faculty of Land and Food Systems that has been primarily responsible for the delivery of academic programming that is directly linked to activities at the physical UBC Farm and has now expanded to encompass the breadth of activity associated with the Farm. The Centre is located in MCML 170.

UBC Farm has had a long and colourful history from occupying a significant percentage of land on campus to being under threat of development for student housing. Visit the Farm's website to learn more about it's history, including the Great Farm Trek of 2009 and the academic plan for the site: Cultivating Place.

LFS 250 students have been visiting the farm as part of the course since 2005. The purpose of the tour is to introduce students in our faculty to the diverse components of our campus farm and to begin thinking about the many ways that students can get involved to enhance their learning while in LFS. The tour takes about 2.5hrs but barely scratches the surface of the Farm's many programs and initiatives. Take advantage of this world class resource and get involved early in your undergrad program.

Agroecology

Your visit to UBC farm will provide an introduction to studying an agroecosystem (a farm understood as an ecosystem) using a systems perspective. Agroecology is the science of applying ecological concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable food systems. Agroecology applies a systems thinking approach to food production and a framework for understanding and managing farm systems based on a complex set of ecological and social processes. Agroecology is considered the foundation of sustainable agriculture and a key principle of the concept of food sovereignty (to be introduced early in Term 2). As you tour the UBC Farm you will be introduced to various components of the farm system (e.g. chickens, soils, markets, biodiversity) and importantly to the web of relationships between the many components that constitute the farm system.

UBC Farm Tour

• UBC Farm Tour (through Google Maps)
• Audio

Tour Tips

• Arrive on time! Take a bus (10mins), walk (20-25mins) or ride your bike (10mins) - relative to UBC Bookstore.
• Prepare for the weather! If raining, wear a rain jacket, rain pants, water proof footwear, and bring an umbrella.
• Wear extra layers to adapt to the changing temperatures
• Bring a pen and notepad to take notes
• Bring a device with wireless and headphones (or plan to share with a friend)
• Bring water and snacks