Olds College and Lethbridge College Support United Nations with Applied Agriculture Research MOU

Connecting with UN Goals

Olds College and Lethbridge College Support United Nations with Applied Agriculture Research MOU

Olds College and Lethbridge College recently signed a ‘memorandum of understanding’ (MOU) focused on applied agriculture research to ensure the province’s agriculture industry has access to world-class researchers, resources and data. To launch the agreement, both colleges signed on to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Accord, becoming the first two colleges in Alberta, and among the first colleges in Canada, to sign the accord.

This United Nations Accord focuses on 17 interlinked global goals to form a more sustainable future with global partnerships, and asks educational institutions to embed these goals into their education, research and operations. The accord highlights the critical role education has in the path to a sustainable future and the commitment learning institutions are making to deliver the goals.

"Olds College is committed to ‘transforming agriculture for a better world’ and our Smart Ag Ecosystem is focused on advancing productivity and sustainability of food production,” says Dr. Joy Agnew, Associate Vice-President, Applied Research. “As agriculture and food are central to our lives, our work supports a number of SDG’s goals related to food security, sustainable agriculture, promotion of lifelong learning opportunities, sustainable management of water, economic growth, responsible production and consumption of resources, combating climate change and its impacts, and protection of ecosystems and biodiversity."

As two of Alberta’s premier agriculture applied research institutions, Olds College and Lethbridge College are committed to supporting sustainable practices, in particular the stated SDGs of zero hunger; quality education; decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation and infrastructure; responsible consumption and production; and partnerships. “Olds College and Lethbridge College have a history of addressing the key issues and opportunities of Alberta’s agriculture sector, including through our growing applied research programs,” says Stuart Cullum, President, Olds College. “By signing the SDG Accord, we also are embracing the leadership that the agriculture sector demonstrates and our roles in enhancing it for the benefit of our industry, our institutions and our students.”

Along with committing to global goals, Olds College and Lethbridge College will work together to identify joint projects, refer companies to each other based on the best fit with infrastructure and research expertise, and share relevant data and data networks since both college’s boast agriculture-based Technology Access Centres. The MOU will benefit both institutions as well as the province’s primary producers, businesses and agencies throughout the agri-food supply chain. “Both Lethbridge College and Olds College care deeply about creating real-world solutions for our province’s agriculture industry and leading the way into a sustainable future,” says Dr. Paula Burns, Lethbridge College President and CEO. “By clearing the path for our applied research activities to easily collaborate and share information, producers and others in the agriculture industry will benefit, which boosts our province’s economy. And we are making our partnership even more powerful by signing the SDGs accord and showing commitment to being leaders in sustainability.”

Learn more about the SDG Accord and the 17 global goals by visiting the United Nations website.

www.sdgaccord.org