Pacific Regional Society of Soil Science Annual Workshop Review

The thematic link of this year’s PRSSS Workshop – the past, present and future of British Columbia’s Agriculture Land Reserve (ALR) – was very timely. In the week leading up to the workshop, the BC Government announced the ALR would cease to exist as it had been known for the last four decades. Protections of agricultural land would continue to remain strong in the Okanagan Valley and the Fraser Valley, however in the remaining parts of the province, protections of ALR land would become more ‘flexible’ to allow for farmers and landowners to manage their land without as many restrictions. Not being native to BC, the discussions, opinions, histories and perspectives on the future of the ALR that were shared were very informative and insightful. Some of the highlights are included here.

The ALR was legislated into BC law in the early 1970s. Though four decades have since past, many of the individuals who were are part of its creation are still active and passionate about the work that initiated much of their career.  One such individual, Terry Lewis, described the history of ALR lands in BC in five phases with an emphasis on the importance of soil knowledge in each phase. In Phase 1 provincial land was still being settled and agricultural land developed. Restrictions were in place for forest reserves which were the drivers for soil surveys in the central and northern regions of the province, but divided these surveys between provincial and federal jurisdictions so no clear map of BC soils existed. In Phase 2, soil surveying became more important for reasons of taxation, irrigation, identifying hazards and other needs in areas that were becoming more populated such as the Fraser Valley and Okanagan. Key individuals (which now seem to be household names in the province) spearheaded the training for execution for the soil survey namely Norm Sprout, Herb Luttmerding and Gary Runka. In Phase 3, BC developed a land inventory resource that classified and categorized land capability. The BC Land Inventory was done to enhance and better meet the localized needs (compared to the Canadian Land Inventory) of BC regional planners and biologists because of the provinces topographical, climatic and pedologic complexity. In Phase 4, the science that allowed the surveys to be accomplished was put into policy – the BCLI became the biophysical basis for land use planning, zoning, and temporary land freezes on agricultural land. This is also the time the ALR was developed.

I was keen to learn the soil surveyors were the ones to draft maps of ‘suggested ALR’ land based on environmentally sensitive land and indicating where urban growth could happen for a five year period. The Regional Districts were required to prepare ALR plans and process to put lands into the reserve. The Agricultural Land Commission evaluated the plans and forwarded them to the Provincial Government to be vetted for achieved intention (preserving best agricultural land for economic purposes, farmland preservation and future food sovereignty) before approving.  Phase 5 (and 6) bring us to the present where the ALR is threatened by urban pressures in the south, natural resource (gas and forestry) pressures in the north, fragmentation is reality and many are unsure what the best steps forward are with regard to the ALR.

I heard a number of negative perspectives on changes to the ALR, and some that were more ambiguous. Personally I don’t have enough information to make a decision on where I stand. The intent of the ALR is something I respect – I believe food sovereignty and protecting our best agricultural lands is worth pursuing as someone who is very active in BC Agriculture – but at the same time am very wary of being afraid of change. Learning that the ALR boundaries were designed in the 70s for five years of urban growth tells me that indeed the ALR boundaries need to be revisited – our population has changed. Further, the ALR was developed using technology and resources available in the 1960s and 1970s since when landscape scale assessments have improved. The financial resources may not be as available as they were then to execute these assessments, but as Dr. Les Lavkulich of UBC shared in his closing, we can’t continue to make our land use decisions based on soils information that is 40 years old. Landscapes shift and as such soil surveys have a lifespan of 20 years.  Maybe then it is a time for a change?

It was neat to be a part of a conversation that spanned so many generations of soil, agriculture and environmental enthusiasts. As someone starting their career, the realities of my generation appear to be more about moving forward with the scientific knowledge and skills that have been developed to date to maximize the impact of fabricated and reclamation soils to mitigate some of the seemingly irreversible change that is being driven by economic interests on BC’s landscape.

I don’t know what direction is the right or wrong one for BC’s ALR, but I do know that the conversations that are being had are worth having.  As was reiterated several times by speakers during the PRSSS Workshop, knowledge is the basis for any decision. As soil scientists we must have an understanding today of not only the molecular but also landscape level processes that are happening, we must ‘survive politics’ to influence decision makers, and we must continue to gain field knowledge to really know the land we are dealing with. This is how the best future for agricultural land in BC will be decided.

Canning Dangers: Lessons Learned

This is only my second serious year of canning. The first year I realized not only how accessible preserving food is but that it also an activity with more dangers than may at first be obvious. Botchalism is a common fear - the result of a person not sanitizing and properly killing all the bacteria in the food they are canning. This is why high acid foods are generally safer to can.

 

This was my only fear first year, but now I have realized there are a number of other mistakes made by beginners. Or at least me. I have had two jars explode on my in my canning career because of temperature differences between the glass and either the contents or the external water. My latest mistake is below where this jar in fact exploded out of the canning pot and sliced the top of my foot open. I am fortunate that gravity took hold of the pieces so quickly.

 

Today too, I lost a jar that cracked in half while in its water bath. A more experienced canner friend of mine has said that these hazards may be more the result of using old jars, which I am using, instead of the temperature differences. I did not think the quality of a jar would degrade over time, but apparently the use can cause weaknesses which is a good bit of information so as not to lose my most valuable canned goods. Save the brand new jars and lids for the most important products.

 

Another curiosity is that a select type of wide mouth mason jars keep having the ring unscrew while I am doing the hot water bath. At first I thought that it was the result of possibly filling the jar too full, but as you can see from the picture below (the most recent occurrence), the apricots are securely at a level well below the lid. The liquid is to the top because when the lid came off the water filled in the air cavity. It is as if the lids threading isn't grabbing these jars properly, and then is pushed off with pressure during the hot water bath. In my two previous years this has never happened, but now it has happened three times in one month. Again this could be the result of using old jars, but who can resist the joy that comes with finding a stash of mason jars in your friend's grandparents belongings only to get a great deal on them from your friend's parents.

 

Great score! A variety of sixty four mason jars for $10.00. Can't wait to fill them.

Canning Blog Envy

There are a number of food blogs that are not only informative but visually stimulating. They are the kind that make me want to get up and do whatever it is I am reading about or seeing. One of these sites is Food in Jars. If you have even the slightest interest in canning, or if you are a well seasoned expert, there is something for you to enjoy on her site. I consider myself a novice canner, but I am eager to experiment and try many of the recipes shared on the Food in Jars website. So much so I find myself on the site more that I would like to admit. Here is the state of affairs in my own kitchen so far this year.

making brandied cherries for the first time

many emptied jars to be filled this year

what remains of last year's preserves

 

new preserves: raspberry jam, tayberry jam and raspberry infused with lavender jam

new preserves: pickled garlic scapes, canned cherries and brandied cherries

 

I buy sunflowers whenever they are available at the farmer's market with my vendor discount, and I was very happy I had these to brighten up the preserve photos!

Bringing the Farm into the City: Summer Produce and Canning

Now that I am doing my M. Sc. in Soil Science at the University of British Columbia, the hours I used to spend writing on the blog are dedicated to writing my thesis. Unfortunately, though I am able to write for many hours in the day, I am unable to express myself with the creativity and curious world outlook I could as a traveler. As a consequence, I tried to fulfill this need by starting a tumblr account which is a very unique way to express the world as one sees it - or from what I gather from the volume of reposts of images, from the way you see the world through a collection of online images.

I am back to the blog because it feels most natural to me to share the stories and adventures I have with friends and family, especially as they relate to food and agriculture. Throughout the winter months I worked at the Nat Bailey Stadium farmer's market, thought the winter rain was uninspiring to share much. But now that summer is here I have loads to share! What will follow this summer are a series of the photos and anecdotes about summer produce that makes its way to the city from rural or semi-rural parts of British Columbia and the many wonderful culinary adventures that can be had with said produce.

 

 

Unfortunately strawberry season came and went without my being able to preserve or freeze any of these delicious berries. Being away from the fields, it is hard to have a good sense about how many days or weeks are left in a season and to plan accordingly. It was a good reminder to me too that I would have to be busy preserving every week if I wanted to have a taste of summer to share with friends and family this winter.

 

 





Growing Vegetables in Vancouver: An Urban Farming Census

Today I sat in on my first master's thesis defense. A student in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC in the Integrated Studies and Land and Food Systems program. The research project, titled "Growing Vegetables in Vancouver: An Urban Farming Cenus", was a two year study that look at the economic viability of Vancouver's urban farms. I will discuss some of the points that were interesting here.

First, what is urban agriculture? The term was identified as the act of growing and processing food within an urban region. Generally important aspects to consider were said to be 1) farm location 2) farm purpose and activities - jobs, education 3) farm scale - size and complexity of organization structure - and 4) farm market orientation - how much is for sale. In Vancouver it was said we see mainly three categories of urban agriculture: 1) urban homesteading 2) community gardens and 3) urban farms.

It was described that urban farmers tend to be growing on land that has been marginalized by communities such as abandoned train tracks or sites that are destined for development in the future. Further, that urban agriculture a response to failing food systems where you will find people talking about problems of food security, a term generally associated with people being able to access and afford nutritionally and culturally appropriate foods, as well as food system sustainability at local, regional, national and even global levels.

It was shared that the average age of farmers in North America is currently 53; it has long been discussed that the aging farmer demographic and lack of interest shown by young people to enter the agricultural sector, especially in production, is a challenge to the sustainability of the current food system. Additionally, though the fear of agricultural knowledge being lossed is often discussed, the idea of the potential for this knowledge to be gained and practiced is not often critically analyzed. In the presentation, it was stated that the number of seasons a farmer has to perfect their art, the art of growing food, which is generally around 40 seasons, is significanltly less time than other professionals have to perfect their art due to the nature of the diverging professions. Essentially, a farmer has 40 chances at learning and improving his growing methods, without taking varying environmental and climatic conditions into consideration.

We then looked at urban farms in Vancouver. In the city urban farms are on average 0.34 acres - very small. Vancouver's urban farmers are mainly men and women (in equal proportion) in 30s and most often without farming experience before joining the urban food production scene. None of the farmers own their own land though some tax cuts are available to the landowners where food is being produced. Some land is leased from the government or other organizations, but such leases often require a non-profit connection by the leasing organization in order for proper tax deductions to be secured.

One of the key aspects of urban agriculture in the financing. It is very difficult to establish a business framework where small-scale producers can actually make a profit - further, there is an interesting dynamic in cities where citizens tend to expect food growers to contribute more heavily to the social fabric of the city and give not only their time but also their products for free for the betterment of society as a whole. The lack of profit being generated by city farmers is evident when you look at the source of farming revenue from 2011 in Vancouver: 170,000 farm revenue; 218,000 grant revenue and 10,000 other revenue. This means that 55%, the majority, of the revenue to allow farms to operate in the city - this number really surprised me as I thought that the proximity of urban farmers to their consumers would facilitate improved farm revenue. Looking at the overall implications of this funding structure, we have to ask ourselves what kind of liability having so much of the revenue for local farmers tied up in grant money has for our local food system?

One of the most interesting comments that was generated at this defense was actually during the question period. One of the reviewers asked the student about a section he had included in his written thesis which focused on the student's empathy toward the research he was conducting. The reviewer then asked, given that the student obviously wanted the farmers and farming organizations to succeed, how critical could he really be in his evaluation and analysis of the data that had been collected? Additionally, how could he defend his work in front of a panel that didn't share his same biases?

The student's response was that the fact that his research showed both successful and failing farmers in the city, that he felt his work was evidently an unbiased account of what is actually happening on the ground; if he showed only successes, promoting his work might be more of challenge.

Regardless of the answer for this student, the question about how do you deal with one's personally biases and interests in a profession that is supposed to be objective. Clearly I am studying agriculture because I am passionate about the subject. I believe that our food choices are the best preventative methods to long and healty lives and consequently promote food production, funtioning food systems and whole food choices wherever possible. Then, however, when I am conducting my research, how will these biases about preferences for rural landscapes, farming landscapes, farming culture, agricultural solutions for long term health of the environment and society affect the objectivity of my work? This is something I still need to decipher in these intial phases of setting up my research, but I am glad that these ideas have been brought to my attention before I was too involved in the work that I could no longer separate myself from the work I am conducting.

Hidden Bench: Agriculture in the Family

People sometimes wonder how I became interested in food systems and agriculture since I grew up in Montreal and then moved to Vancouver - two significant urban centers by Canadian standards.

Well in Quebec my grandparents invested in farmland in the Laurentians many years ago, and so both my father and uncle, and then my brother, cousins and I, spent a significant amount of time at the farm. Somehow, that place has had a strong influence on a number of us. My father now runs that farm passionately, and my uncle is successfully producing wine, cheese and even chickens in the Niagara region of Ontario.

Check out his winery, Hidden Bench, and the fantastic reviews it is receiving.

Report on Science

I have recently returned to school to pursue a Masters in Science in Soil Science from the University of British Columbia. While trying to adjust to a life that is indoors, stationary and of the mind rather than of the body, I have been struggling to understand what it means to be a graduate student and what it means to be a member of the scientific community.

I once did an art project for a class on the history and philosophy of environmental thought, where I compared the way we view western medicine (science) and the way we view Christianity (religion). The point of my project was to challenge viewers to think about, or even possibly concede, that science is as much a belief system as religion - in a way it is our modern day religion. There exists the practice where the majority of the general public put faith in the methods and practices of science in order to facilitate their adherence to the rules and results put forth by the scientific community - much the way people adhered to the Christian faith many years ago. Believing in science requires faith in the practitioners who deal with scientific methodology, processes, subjects and research on a daily basis. However, like all human creations, science is flawed because of its human component. Practitioners are only human, and they make mistakes. This realization is often disheartening for non-practitioners.

This week I learned an interesting fact about scientific publication. Perhaps part of the reason we believe that science is such a majestic entity is because the scientific community is in the habit of only publishing positive results. What this means is that though there are many research projects that turn out to be complete flops, no knowledge, methodology or results are shared from these misguided pursuits of answers. What this also means, is that the same questions can be asked again and again because there is no record that someone else has gone down the same road in another place or another time.

To counter this trend, I have also learned of the Journal of Negative Results. "The primary intention of Journal of Negative Results is to provide an online-medium to publish peer-reviewed, sound scientific work in ecology and evolutionary biology that is scientifically rigorous but does not rely upon arbitrary significance thresholds to support conclusions." (http://www.jnr-eeb.org/index.php/jnr/index Sept. 13, 2012)

The element which most surprises me is that until this moment, I had never thought about what were the biases for publication in scientific journals. Even something as simple as highlighting positive results and omitting negative results is significant.

We must ask then: Do readers prefer reading about success rather than failure even though failure is just as important as success?