Academic Partners
The University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia, established in 1908, educates a student population of 50,000 on major campuses in two cities and holds an international reputation for excellence in advanced research and learning.
The largest campus is 30 minutes from the heart of downtown Vancouver, a spectacular location that is a 'must-see' for any visitor to the city - where snow-capped mountains meet ocean, and breathtaking vistas greet you around every corner. The campus is home to more than 37,000 undergraduate and 9,000 graduate students.
Sustainability at UBC
Sustainability defines UBC as a university. Through collective efforts in education, research, partnerships and operations, the university strives to advance sustainability on its campus and beyond.
The UBC Sustainability Initiative (USI) exemplifies this commitment. Established in January 2010, this strategic management group promotes and unites UBC's sustainability efforts in teaching and learning, research and campus operations.
Finding collective sustainability solutions requires the expertise and collaboration of individuals from all disciplines, and the USI is guided by two key themes: the campus as a living laboratory and the University as an agent of change. The "Campus as a Living Laboratory" theme sets the foundation for exploration and creates opportunities for UBC students, faculty, staff and community members to work together to discover and test new sustainability ideas and approaches.
Faculty of Land & Food Systems at UBC
Addressing critical global issues around human health, a sustainable food supply, and land and water resources through research and education.
The importance of healthy and sustainable land and food systems cannot be underestimated. The Faculty of Land and Food Systems (LFS) is meeting urgent local and global challenges surrounding food safety, resource use and shared environmental resources.
Researchers are focused on finding viable solutions to pressing global crises and are known worldwide for their innovation and leadership in areas such as dairy, aquaculture and wine research. Whether it is grape and wine yeast genomics or animal welfare, LFS research advances scientific knowledge while providing industry with practical solutions.
Students are developing the skills to make visible changes, studying real-world issues like obesity, food security and climate change. They are encouraged to direct their own education and bring classroom theories to life through problem-based learning, co-ops, exchange programs, community service learning and new learning technologies.
The UBC Center for Sustainable Food Systems
The UBC Farm is a student-driven initiative where students, faculty, staff, and the local community have been working together to create a place where anyone can come to learn, live and value the connection between land, food and community. The ultimate goal of the farm is to retain and re-create existing farm and forest lands at the University of British Columbia into an internationally significant centre for sustainable agriculture, forestry and food systems.
The UBC Farm is a 24-hectare learning and research farm located on the University of British Columbia's Campus in Vancouver, Canada. The farm is student-driven and integrated with the wider community. As the only working farmland within the city of Vancouver, the UBC Farm is an urban agrarian gem, featuring a landscape of unique beauty.
On October 19th 2011, Clean Seed Capital Group and its collaborative partner the UBC Center for Sustainable Food Systems, hosted Dr. Kwesi Opoku-Debrah, PhD from Ghana, Africa. The primary objective of the visit was to introduce Dr. Opoku-Debrah to the collaborative team at UBC, Dr. Andrew Riseman PhD the Academic Director of the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems and Timothy Carter, Field Manager, UBC Farm. The main purpose of this visit was to explore mutually beneficial opportunities and to foster relationships with the Developing Nations agriculture academic community.
From left: Timothy Carter, Dr. Andrew Riseman, Graeme Lempriere and Dr. Kwesi Opoku-Debrah.
The Group toured the 24 hectare research and educational farm located on the University of British Columbia's Campus in Vancouver, Canada. The ultimate goal of the farm is to retain and re-create existing farm and forest lands at the University of British Columbia into an internationally significant centre for sustainable agriculture, forestry and food systems.
The importance of healthy and sustainable land and food systems cannot be underestimated. At the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, they are meeting urgent local and global challenges surrounding food safety, resource use and shared environmental resources. Clean Seed Capital shares this philosophy and believes that the answers to a sustainable future and food security lie in uniting groups in business, academia and government in developing innovative solutions to intractable problems.
Dr. Kwesi Opoku-Debrah, stated "My visit to the UBC Centre for Sustainable Food Systems today with CleanSeed Capital Groups management team has been educative and exciting. The Academic Director of the Center, Dr Andrew Riseman and his team are doing the right thing at the right time and the collaborative nature of the relationship between UBC and Clean Seed Capital are evident and I look forward to expanding their initiatives to developing nations starting with Ghana, Africa.
They are placing UBC at the forefront of sustainable agricultural development by providing leadership and practical example to others that can expand to other universities, attract investors and development practitioners who are seeking collaboration and support for sustainable agricultural development worldwide. I look forward to working with UBC and Clean Seed Capital moving forward".
