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Will California floods impact Quebec's food availability and price?

“In Quebec, it hasn't been good this year either. We lose California, there's still Florida, there's still Mexico. We hope that it goes well somewhere because we will pay for it, one day," ֱ agronomist and economist Pascal Thériault told 98.5fm host Luc Ferrandez. 

Quebec imports fruits, vegetables, and wine from California.

Published: 28 Aug 2023

Climate change made weather conditions that powered Quebec fires twice as likely, scientists say

The record-setting wildfires that ripped through Quebec this summer were made more likely and more intense by human-caused climate change, according to a new analysis conducted by 16 researchers within the World Weather Attribution group, from universities and meteorological agencies in Canada, the Netherlands, the U.K.

Published: 28 Aug 2023

‘Modernizing agriculture an imperative need for food production’

Modernization of agriculture is imperative for food production, Vijaya Raghavan, Distinguished James ֱ Professor from Canada, said on Tuesday while inaugurating the Eighth Agricultural Graduate Students’ Conference at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

Published: 28 Aug 2023

Canada’s devastating wildfire season prompts calls for new approach

The wildfires that ravaged Canada this summer have some experts calling for a more aggressive approach than the country has applied in the past. 

This year, nearly 30 million acres have burned across Canada. In eastern provinces such as Quebec, where blazes are less common, wildfire agencies that are equipped to fight fewer and smaller fires were largely unprepared for the circumstances.

Published: 16 Aug 2023

Take a look inside this Montreal restaurant's basement farm

A restaurant in Montreal's Southwest borough is taking a more direct interpretation of "farm to table," growing much of their produce in the basement, refurbished with cooling, lighting, and humidity systems.

Published: 16 Aug 2023

Montreal looks to boost lagging participation in food waste collection

All residential buildings in Montreal with under nine units now have brown bins—but only 63 per cent actually sort out their food waste, according to a 2021 survey conducted by the city. Meanwhile, the Lachenaie landfill in Terrebonne—the only landfill in the Montreal area—is set to reach its capacity in 2029.

The city says a large-scale food waste awareness campaign will launch later this year to try to boost citizens' participation in separating out organics. 

Published: 27 Jul 2023

Palm oil plantations and deforestation in Guatemala: Certifying products as 'sustainable' is no panacea

Palm oil, which can be found in roughly half of all packaged supermarket products, is notorious for causing deforestation and biodiversity loss. Efforts to curtail the damage have largely focused on voluntary environmental certification programs that label qualifying palm-oil sources as "sustainable."

Published: 27 Jul 2023

Natural structures can give rise to stronger, lighter systems

In a recent multidisciplinary study published in Advanced Science, researchers build upon the principles of biomimicry by drawing inspiration from the wing of a dragonfly to redesign that of a Boeing 777.

Published: 26 Jul 2023

Sollio, ֱ join forces on novel coated fertilizer study; PurYield is being marketed as a nutrient uptake enhancer

Sollio Agriculture has partnered with ֱ to test the benefits of PurYield, a new coated fertilizer which enhances nutrient uptake by plants. Researchers will compare it to commonly used uncoated urea fertilizer to assess its impact on corn grain growth, yield, and quality, as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Previous trials showed a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Published: 26 Jul 2023

Can a disease-free, drought-proof potato exist? A map of the vegetable’s genes aims to find out

A Canadian-led team has assembled the most extensive genetic roadmap of the potato to date, along with its closest relatives, in order to bolster the plant’s ability to cope with climate change and protect its future as a mainstay of global food security and sustainability.

Published: 26 Jul 2023

ֱ launches new partnership with the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development

On May 31, 2023, ֱ’s Margaret A. Gilliam Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) and SOCODEVI, in collaboration with the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), held an event showcasing concrete actions to strengthen sustainable agriculture, improve the living conditions of smallholder farmers and increase the resilience of agri-food systems.

Published: 25 Jul 2023

Experts: WHO's cancer research agency to list aspartame sweetener a possible carcinogen

Aspartame, used in products such as diet sodas and chewing gum, will soon be listed as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" for the first time by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer research arm. (Reuters)

Published: 19 Jul 2023

Lean times hit the vertical farming business

Vertical farming, once touted as the future of agriculture, is currently facing a lean period. Challenges in scalability and energy consumption have cast a shadow on this innovative farming method. 

Published: 18 Jul 2023

Building a more resilient food system

The impacts of climate change, rising fuel costs, geopolitical conflicts, and global supply chain snags make today's delocalized food system—and the 8 billion people who depend on it—increasingly vulnerable. 

Part of the solution to building a more sustainable and resilient agrifood system is to improve local, indoor food production. Researchers in ֱ’s Biomass Production Laboratory are doing just that, increasing access to fresh produce year-round.

Published: 10 Jul 2023

Des semences de peupliers en abondance à Windsor

Si vous habitez les alentours de la ville de Windsor, peut-être avez-vous remarqué des substances blanches semblables à du pollen amassé sur les trottoirs, les pelouses ou les terrasses. Ce sont des semences de peupliers. À l'émission Matins sans frontières, David Wees, enseignant en horticulture à l'Université ֱ, explique l'origine de ces semences, leur importance et comment se comporter vis-à-vis d'elles.

Published: 3 Jul 2023

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