B.C. school receives climate funds
The Institute for Sustainable Horticulture at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia has been awarded $440,000 over two years from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for research into agricultural innovation on climate change challenges.
The funding aims to help agriculture recover from extreme climate change impacts like the heat wave and flooding that hit British Columbia in 2021.
The research has three elements that include:
- helping soil recover and support healthy crops after flooding by using microbial consortia
- developing a pathway for natural products to assist small- and medium-sized companies to quickly bring them to market
- accelerating research of novel agricultural technological innovations, such as using laser light to treat seeds and natural plant extracts called bio-stimulants that can improve germination and early crop growth
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Feds fund ginseng marketing
Ottawa is contributing up to $849,192 to the Ontario Ginseng Growers Association.
The project will allow the organization to develop the reputation of Canadian ginseng and expand its market prospects around the world.
The Ontario Ginseng Growers Association plan to achieve these goals through market analysis of new and existing markets such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, India, Vietnam and European markets.
Ginseng is native to Canada. It was found growing in the early 1700s near Montreal by a Jesuit priest and has been traded for more than 300 years.
Outstanding teacher named in B.C.
Robin Ruff of Royal Bay Secondary in Victoria is the recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Teacher in Agriculture Award by the B.C. Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation.
The award was presented to Robin Ruff for demonstrating outstanding leadership and innovation in agriculture education.
Through her food studies class, Ruff has been a leader in food literacy education for more than a decade. She focuses on local agriculture, school gardens and local food systems education.
She pursued studies in biology and ecology with an emphasis on environmental education.
Sustainable packaging receives funding
The federal government is providing up to $376,200 to the Canadian Produce Marketing Association to support more sustainable food packaging.
The funds will be used for a national pilot project that explores effective ways for industry to transition to more environmentally friendly food packaging, which includes recyclability or compostability.
