Dr. Lenore Newman views food security as an existential crisis for humanity, and she believes climate change is pushing the world in a dangerous direction. “As long as we can keep the world’s food systems working, no matter what else happens, we will be okay,” she says. “But if we lose the food, chaos erupts…

A local family with a long history of generous support for UFV has come forward once again with financial contributions for student researchers in the Food and Agriculture Institute (FAI). Bruna Giacomazzi, her husband Bob Burnett, joined by her sister Gina Alary, and several other family members recently visited UFV’s Abbotsford campus to learn more…

A new partnership has launched between two of Canada’s leading agri-food research universities – the University of the Fraser Valley and the University of Guelph. Together, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at advancing new pathways for sustainable innovation within Canada’s $140 billion food and agriculture industry. The agreement names long-time collaborators Dr.…

Dedicated to creating and caring for a better berry, Dr. Eric Gerbrandt’s research takes him from the fields of his Yarrow farm to labs and conferences around the world. For this and more, Eric has been named UFV’s Distinguished Alumni Award winner for 2023. Eric has been leading the BC berry research portfolio as Research…

The Fraser Valley is the heart of agriculture in British Columbia. But along with bumper crops of berries and corn come real concerns about the future of food production.  Climate change, heat domes, floods, drought, global warning, and rising prices all have an impact on local and global food security.   The University of the…

Do you ever feel like you could do more to be sustainable but aren’t sure how? If so, you’ll be excited to know that this March at UFV will be full of events dedicated to sustainability. UFV’s Office of Sustainability, alongside 20 other departments and groups, will host the March for Sustainability event series again…

When Dr. Sumin Fang first heard about the 2021 flood on the Sumas Prairie, word came to her through unofficial channels. “One of my colleagues was driving to Abbotsford from Maple Ridge and saw pumpkins floating in a farm field. Then some of my students told me they could not come to class because their…

A year after flooding devastated the Fraser Valley, the collective experience has been captured in a series of artistic expressions garnered through a contest and an open invitation for those affected to share their stories. The results are in, and they’re remarkable, according to Dr. Michelle Superle, who organized the Flood Stories project. “The inspiration…

This is what research looks like at UFV: pairing children with the elderly as dance partners, exploring cellular agriculture and indoor farming, collecting and preserving South Asian settlers' stories, and an innovative hub that fuels out-of-the-box thinking about health and social issues. Research here is different. It is impactful. It is curious and creative. It…

Just behind the Lá:lem te Baker student housing on UFV’s Abbotsford campus lies a new, neatly manicured garden. Lush green shrubs blend in with an assortment of flowers, herbs and plants. Some are in full bloom; others are just sprouting.  Although it is serene, the garden — which spans almost 100 feet  — serves a…

Heading out on a road trip this summer? We have the perfect driving companion for you. And maybe we’re a little biased, but UFV has some of the most brilliant and fascinating minds in education.  The UFV Get to Know podcast digs a little deeper with UFV’s expert faculty and staff. You might know our…

Sharing stories can be a way of healing, and a creative project offered by the UFV Food and Agriculture Institute is giving people affected by the devastating floods of November 2021 a way to share their experiences. Dr. Michelle Superle, who is an assistant professor of English at UFV, a published writer, a research associate…

Practise what you preach. That’s the approach UFV has continuously taken after making sustainability a top priority by aligning with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and forming partnerships and initiatives with students and different departments. Whether it is dropping plastic bags or implementing solar panels, UFV is actively seeking and implementing new ways of…

The UFV Communications team has created a 30-minute podcast called Get to Know, where you can get to know (see what we did there?) some of UFV's most interesting minds through candid discussions -- exploring their areas of expertise and gaining a glimpse of who they are when they're not at UFV.  Our first guest…

Monica Allemeersch is used to ferrying her kids around to after-school activities, but on November 15 they went for the commute of a lifetime, fleeing from the flood zone in her truck. Along for the ride was Monica’s mother-in-law, who was scheduled for hip surgery the next day. All of them were escaping from rising…