Media Releases and Opportunities
» Go to news mainMedia release: Dalhousie‑led initiative awarded $1.9M in federal funding to help agriculture sector meet emission reduction targets
The Canadian government has pledged to cut agricultural emissions from fertilizer use and methane by 30 per cent below 2020 levels by 2030. It’s a goal that will need to be met by the 2.3 million people employed in Canada’s agri-food systems.
To support the transition, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council announced a $1.9-million grant to fund the Dalhousie-hosted Common Ground Canada Network. The national consortium will employ social sciences and humanities research to understand barriers to shifting to less carbon-intensive agricultural systems and how to overcome them equitably.
“We need to look at what the challenges are of moving towards net zero in food systems. What problems arise when you introduce new policies,” says Dr. Karen Foster, Dalhousie’s Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Rural Futures for Atlantic Canada, who leads the initiative.
“The idea is to get researchers and people in the sector into conversations early so that we're identifying gaps and tensions, and working to resolve them through policy with end users in mind.”
Common Ground Canada Network is currently comprised of 28 partner organizations across the country, with plans to grow. It includes academic institutions, research teams, centres and institutes, civil society organizations and other community partners that have deep experience working with people in the agricultural sector.
STEM-focused research teams developing technological solutions funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada will also be key network partners. Social science and humanities researchers will work with them to understand the social context and impacts of their advances, such as concerns farmers might have about the accelerating changes in their industry.
“There are people saying, ‘This is too much, this is not the farming I got into,’ and asking questions like, ‘What are the skills that I need in my workers?’" says Dr. Foster. “That's the kind of thing that a social science-informed case study approach can help think through, from the handy new tool to all of the knock-on effects.”
The role of culture will also be a key consideration, including how carbon-reduction policies reflect the needs and rights of equity deserving populations. In particular, the network will explore the intersection of Canada’s pursuit of net zero goals and its commitments to Truth and Reconciliation, using the tools of social science research to balance the ambitions.
-30-
Media contact:
Andrew Riley
Senior manager, research and innovation communications
Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation
902-456-7904
andrew.riley@dal.ca
Recent News
- Media release: Nova Scotia pharmacists among Canada’s first to prescribe HIV prevention drug with help from Dalhousie pilot study
- Media opportunity: What do you need to make a hit song? Math, according to a Dalhousie University mathematician who created a pop song using fractals, the cantor set and all things mathy
- Media opportunity: Uncovering the link between meltwater and groundwater in mountain regions is a priority for sustainable water management: international research paper
- Media opportunity: Fish biomass faces steep declines by end of century under high‑emissions scenario: FAO report by Dalhousie University, international scientists
- Media Release: Two Dalhousie students selected as McCall MacBain International Fellows
- Media release: Barriers to care ‑ research reveals the experiences of transgender and gender‑diverse people seeking health care
- Media opportunity: Being involved in extracurricular activities really does matter when it comes to 'mattering': Dalhousie University research
- Media opportunity: Podcast by Dalhousie researcher and Halifax photographer looks at barriers to Nova Scotia's coastline, decreasing access to waterfronts and problems with litter, marine debris in public coastal areas
Comments
comments powered by Disqus