Did you know that the KPU Farm is just across the road from the Richmond campus? This farm on the Garden City Lands is the centerpiece of the Sustainable Agriculture Program that is offered by the Department of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in the Faculty of Science. Dr. Alex Lyon will tour us through the certified-organic farm, the geodesic dome and moveable high tunnels, and tell us how students engage with the farm as part of their studies. Come and learn how the farm fosters soil health and biodiversity, explores innovative approaches to preserving stored soil carbon, and about the importance of adapting seeds to a changing climate. We will also have a chance to learn about the new community Learning Garden for outreach initiatives and the restoration efforts for the Lulu Island Peat Bog that borders the KPU Farm.
This is a KPU Wild Spaces event
Open to KPU students, staff and faculty.
When:
Thursday, March 7, 2024 - 11:30am-1pm
To register, please fill in the form at the bottom of this page.
Facilitator info:
Dr. Alex Lyon is faculty in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems at KPU. She is passionate about agrobiodiversity, plant breeding, and the sociology of agriculture. As an agroecologist who applies interdisciplinary approaches to complex questions in agriculture and food systems, she embeds natural science in social and cultural contexts. Some of her core education and outreach interests are the environmental and cultural significance of seeds and crop genetic diversity, and the role of plant breeding in resilient and sustainable food production. Working with organic vegetable farmers and community partners across Canada, Alex developed the Canadian Organic Vegetable Improvement (CANOVI) project which supported participatory plant breeding and on-farm variety trials to develop regionally adapted varieties for organic production.
Dr. Lee Beavington is a settler-scholar of European ancestry. He is a learning strategist and interdisciplinary instructor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and also teaches graduate students in nature-based education at Simon Fraser University. Lee serves on the Climate+ Challenge team and coordinates KPU Wild Spaces, an interdisciplinary project on place-based outdoor learning in higher education. His research explores nature-based pedagogy and environmental ethics. Find Lee reflecting in the forest, mesmerized by ferns, and always following the river. More about Lee at www.wildethic.com.
Meeting location:
Student Common Space, Richmond campus (see attached map). Rain or shine. Dress for the weather. Boots or sturdy footwear recommended!
Please click on the image below to see the enlarged version.
Snapshots of the farm:
Questions? Contact lee.beavington@kpu.ca