UBC Undergraduate Research

Creating a "UBC Farm to Campus food provider program" Afford, Heather; Chandran, Varun; Denys, Jessica; Haji, Aliya; Lee, Samantha; Lok, Sandy

Abstract

“Local food or the local food movement is a “collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies. Ones in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution and consumption are integrated to enhance economic, environmental and social health.” Local food systems are an alternative to their global corporate models. Global food production is centered on its economic benefits. The intensive production of food and its global distribution has contributed immensely to our deteriorating environment. Instead of obtaining food from our local farms, we have resorted to buying foods that are grown and processed in countries around the world. This inefficiency and its contributing negative impacts are making our world less sustainable. Starting with the Alma Mater Society Food and Beverage Department (AMSFBD) at the University of British Columbia (UBC), we seek to establish a stronger connection between the university community and its invaluable campus farm through the evaluation of the awareness of the university community, its willingness to support the farm, and the ability of the farm and the AMSFBD to meet the needs of each other. In order to strengthen the relationship between the AMSFBD and the UBC Farm, literature reviews from past Agricultural Science 450 (AGSC 450) reports were done, as well as a survey of UBC students. Results from this survey show that the university community is aware of the existence of the on-campus farm. A large majority of students are willing to pay a limited premium for fresh produce from the UBC Farm. Literature reviews and interviews with the AMSFBD and UBCF Farm representatives showed the desirability and feasibility of creating a “UBC Farm to Campus food provider program”. A business proposal was completed and recommendations were given that benefit both groups, as well as other participating partners. A larger sample size for future surveys has been suggested. This will for a more in-depth and accurate analysis of the situation. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada