| I spent the first 10 years of my life enjoying the wonders of bugs, farm animals, plants, gardens, orchards and vineyards, forests and other marvels of nature. Not surprisingly, I later enrolled in the BSc. of Environmental and Conservation Sciences program. When I heard the quote: “There are no environmental problems, only human problems”, I realized I would need to major in Human Dimensions to understand what it is about the human species that causes them to live unsustainably on this finite planet. I learned that many environmental problems (e.g. habitat loss, pollution) are related to agriculture and so I turned my attention to this topic. |  |
After four incredible years of living and working on several organic ranches in Canada, as well as volunteering in Namibia and New Zealand, I headed back to complete a MSc. in Environmental Sociology. My thesis was on the BSE (mad cow) crisis in Canada and to what extent it served as an opportunity for learning and changes. Afterwards, I was fortunate to work for the University of Alberta and other organizations on several projects related to local food, food security, urban agriculture, agricultural-environmental stewardship, and urban-rural interdependencies. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be involved in agriculture from “field to plate” and beyond to research and policy.
