Why Agriculture? Faculty of Agriculture 2020-2025 Strategic Plan

why agriculture?

DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE 2020–2025 STRATEGIC PLAN

Dalhousie University supports the Sustainable Development Goals

table of contents MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN (PG 3) MISSION AND VISION (PG 4) VALUES (PG 6) GOALS (PG 7) LOCAL AND GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY (PG 8) FOOD SECURITY (PG 10) HEALTH AND WELL-BEING (PG 12)

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WHY AGRICULTURE? DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE 2020–2025 STRATEGIC PLAN

Why Agriculture?

Agriculture in the 21st century faces multiple challenges. The world population is expected to grow by over a third, or 2.3 billion people by 2050.

Feeding a world population of 9.1 billion people will require raising overall food production by close to 70 per cent while also focusing on reducing food waste and insecurity, increasing eďŹƒciency of production using innovative technologies and leveraging cutting-edge research. Poverty, food insecurity both locally and globally, malnutrition and movement of populations from rural to urban centres will also feature prominently.

Our Faculty is committed to dedicating our human and physical resources to addressing these significant challenges to global and local sustainability, food security and health and well-being in this rapidly changing landscape within our sector. These goals are central to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and will be central to our work over the next five years.

Agriculture has a key role to play in the implementation of a One Health approach to these challenges. The One Health vision is a collaborative multi-disciplinary approach to safeguarding human and animal health, reducing disease threats and ensuring a safe food supply through effective and responsible management of natural resources.

It is Agriculture that will help feed the world; Agriculture that will help mitigate climate change and Agriculture that will ensure clean water and a sustainable environment for our future.

There isn’t another sector that impacts our lives, both individually and collectively, more than agriculture.

Agriculture is our future, it’s that simple.

Dr David Gray Dean, Faculty of Agriculture

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mission

vision

Specializing in post-secondary

To be an international leader

education in agriculture and

for education, training,

its related disciplines, our

research and advice to

scholarship, research and

agricultural learners, partners

training generate knowledge

and communities in the

and solutions for healthy,

Atlantic Provinces and around

sustainable societies. Our

the world.

outreach and international activities train leaders for local and global community engagement.

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WHY AGRICULTURE? DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE 2020–2025 STRATEGIC PLAN

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values that guide our decision-making • We keep students at the centre of all we do and are mindful of the impact each decision will have on them.

• We are committed to the sustainability of our institution and our world, through environmental, social and fiscal stewardship.

• We strive for excellence in all endeavors.

• We focus on innovation to discover and create new insight through teaching, research and service.

• We connect and collaborate with our community, locally, regionally, nationally and globally.

• We practice integrity by maintaining the highest standards of ethics and professionalism and operating according to our values.

• We create a culture of respect by nurturing a collegial community that is rooted in diversity and inclusivity.

• We prioritize collaboration by developing internal and external partnerships to address local and global challenges.

• We protect academic freedom so that everyone in our community has the opportunity to teach, pursue and discuss knowledge, while maintaining a collegial atmosphere.

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aligning our goals During the next five years, we are committed to dedicating our human and physical resources to addressing significant challenges to local and global sustainability, food security and health and well-being targeted by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

We recognize that many of our priorities will affect more than one of these areas as the work we do is multi-faceted and inter-disciplinary.

The connections among our priorities are captured below:

global sustainability 1•2•3•7 4•11•12

5•6•17 8•9•10 13•14

food security

health and well-being 15•16•17

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local and global sustainability

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WHY AGRICULTURE? DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE 2020–2025 STRATEGIC PLAN

we commit to: 1. Ensure appropriate industry engagement across the curriculum and in research initiatives 2. Increase research in areas of clean technology related to agricultural industries

Human activities are increasing atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations causing significant soil erosion while depleting our limited and precious supply of fresh water.

Human activities will also lead to higher global temperatures, higher sea levels and increased climatic variability, including changes in precipitation patterns and magnitudes. We need to slow the rate of increase of atmospheric GHG concentrations. The Faculty of Agriculture is committed to making important contributions to these efforts by developing agricultural and landscape practices that reduce or offset negative impacts on the environment, increase farmer income, support sustainable communities, improve soil productivity and water quality and enhance wildlife habitats.

3. Prepare our students for the workforce, as employees, employers and innovators, by incorporating entrepreneurship and work-integrated learning into the curriculum 4. Develop and model best practices for sustainable management of resources and waste reduction, including reducing the campus’ carbon footprint and enhancing biodiversity 5. Drive innovation and rural economic development in Atlantic Canada 6. Encourage all staff and faculty to be involved in globalization (extending our impact throughout the world) and internationalization (bringing global perspectives to our campus) 7. Commit to fiscal responsibility and transparent good governance, with enhanced internal and external communication 8. Develop modern facilities to support quality education and collaborative research

A new co-generation system on campus burns a wide-range of biomass products and includes a turbine to produce electricity. In addition to producing clean energy and a more reliable source of heat, it is a major step forward to becoming a carbon neutral campus.

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food security

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WHY AGRICULTURE? DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE 2020–2025 STRATEGIC PLAN

we commit to: Achieving global food security while reducing negative environmental impacts is one of the greatest challenges facing agriculture. The global food system has major impacts both globally and locally on the environment, through greenhouse gas emissions, water abstraction, waste management, soil, water and air pollution, land use change and loss of biodiversity, threatening food security and sustainability. The Faculty of Agriculture is committed to improving food security locally and globally through our teaching, research, international activities and local partnerships.

9.

Develop and demonstrate modern and innovative farm management and food production techniques, including production in non-traditional environments

10. Support innovations that enhance the productivity of farming, locally and globally 11. Provide leadership for helping producers and processors use modern technology and data to transform their operations 12. Engage in projects that will address food security issues regionally, including partnering with local municipalities and Indigenous communities 13. Explore opportunities for interdisciplinary curriculum development and delivery, including across Faculties

Agriculture is also aquaculture — farming our seas. Dr. Stefanie Colombo strives to discover new ways aquaculture can be less dependent on resources to produce quality fish with an end goal to produce fish that have a low environmental footprint — use less resources, produce less waste, are healthy and provide superior nutrition.

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health and well-being

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WHY AGRICULTURE? DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE 2020–2025 STRATEGIC PLAN

we commit to: Supporting the health and well-being of our campus, community and world requires a One Health approach: the collaborative effort of multiple disciplines – working locally, nationally and globally – to attain optimal health for people, animals and the environment. The Faculty of Agriculture is committed to supporting health and well-being locally and globally and improving public trust in the role agriculture plays in sustaining healthy communities and ecosystems.

14. Engage in the areas of food safety and quality assurance, including how they connect to health and nutrition issues for humans, animals, and the environment 15. Increase community education and outreach to demonstrate how agriculture contributes to sustainable and healthy communities 16. Integrate Indigenous knowledge, gender equity, and diversity into the curriculum, and adjust our language and imagery to be inclusive and welcoming to all 17. Continue to focus on achieving the university’s equity goals for staff and faculty 18. Leverage technology and adjust institutional and pedagogic practices to reduce barriers to education 19. Focus on physical and mental well-being of the campus community and our industry partners

Attaining optimal health for people, animals and the environment means leveraging our natural elements in novel ways. Research into the use of apple peels and fish oil for their anti-cancer properties, seaweed extracts to improve crop performance and mealworms as protein supplements is just the beginning.

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FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE Dalhousie Agricultural Campus PO Box 550 | Truro NS B2N 5E3 Canada 902.893.6600 | agriculture@dal.ca | dal.ca/agriculture