The Harvest Moon Society is closely allied with the Environmental Conservation Lab at the University of Manitoba. Many Harvest Mooners are presently engaged in research focused on rural concerns and issues.
Escaped Canola in Roadside Habitats: Scale of Persistence and Dispersal of Genetically Modified Plants
Alexis Knispel, PhD candidate
2004 to present
In 2004, farmers in the prairie provinces produced 98.7% of the total Canadian harvested acreage of canola, 80 of which was genetically modified to be herbicide tolerant. Canola is also a weed species of roadsides and waste places. The large-scale release of herbicide tolerant canola in Canada may lead to the spread of herbicide tolerance transgenes into non-crop environments.
A long-term monitoring project was established in 2004 in two regions of southern Manitoba, to assess the persistence and spread of weedy canola populations occurring in roadside ditches. Populations will be tested for the presence of herbicide tolerance transgenes. Additionally, prevalence of canola will be monitored at the landscape scale, to assess the degree to which canola persists in the landscape as a metapopulation.
Community Partners:
- Harvest Moon Society
Holistic Management in the Canadian Prairies
Melisa Yestrau, MEnv Candidate
2005-present
During these challenging times in agriculture, especially with the advent of BSE, how can farm families reach goals that assist them to produce good profits while conserving the land and a good quality of life? For a growing number of Canadian farmers, this answer has been sought through the adoption of Holistic Management. Developed by Alan Savory in 1988, Holistic Management is a decision making framework that promotes the establishment of a single holistic goal, which includes quality of life, plans for income generation, and the future vision for the land (Savory, 1999). In addition to goal setting, a variety of management tools are promoted - grazing, rest, animal impact, and technology, along with continual monitoring.
Despite the real and potential value that Holistic Management holds for farmers, especially those with livestock, the benefits and challenges have never been formally assessed. This project will serve to provide the information needed for farmers, rural communities, and conservation organizations that are interested in promoting rural livelihoods, providing for the environment, and building stronger communities. Importantly, this project will assess the role of HM in contending with the strains associated with BSE. Although this research focuses on HM practitioners, the results of the study will be relevant for other farmers and livestock producers interested in sustainable management practices.
Project Objectives:
The objective of this research is to document the environmental, economic, and social impacts attributed to the practice of Holistic Management on the farm.
More specifically, we will:
- Assess the motivations of farmers to practice HM;
- Explore the major barriers faced by those who practice this stewardship approach
- Explore how HM affects surrounding rural communities;
- Assess the role of HM in mitigating stress associated with BSE.
Research tools:
- Mail out survey
- Individual interviews
- Focus group interviews
Community Partners:
- The Big Grass Group
Funding:
- Manitoba Conservation’s Sustainable Development Innovations Fund
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Contact:
Melisa Yestrau
Email: yestrau@cc.umanitoba.ca
Phone: 1-204-474-7949 Or Toll-Free: 1-866-580-8160
BSE, Farmers and Rural Communities: Impacts and Responses
Troy Stozek, MEnv candidate
2005-present
The discovery of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in a Canada-born cow resulted in what many consider the worst crisis since the “dirty thirties” across Canada’s rural landscape. Many farmers’ livelihoods were placed at risk after the discovery of BSE in a Canada-born cow and the subsequent international border closures to Canadian live and finished cattle, beef products and other livestock in May 2003.
Although BSE has drawn much media and government attention, there is still very little known about the impacts it has had on livestock producers at the farm level and, especially, the “spillover” effects on rural communities as a whole. Local businesses have closed, equity has been drawn from and stress levels were high throughout many rural communities across the Prairies. And, in many cases, it continues.
Many feel that the crisis was over when the border between the US and Canada was finally (partially) opened in July 2005. However, others worry that the effects of BSE continue, these aggravated by recent extreme weather conditions, high farm input costs declining commodity prices, and other such realities. Furthermore, many argue that BSE is merely one of many significant risks that farmers and rural residents presently face.
Many others showed remarkable resilience throughout the crisis and beyond. It is not our hope to dwell entirely on the negative aspects of the “BSE crisis” but, rather, to paint as accurate a picture as possible of the entire spectrum of stakeholders in the BSE debate. Thus, we hope to better understand those who were not adversely affected by BSE or who benefited from it.
However, with family farms and the rural communities they comprise increasingly in a state of overall decline from risks such as BSE and myriad others, we feel it has never been more essential to understand and communicate such risks, and to do so in a way that includes the voices of those affected most by them - farmers and rural residents.
The purpose of this research is to gain a better understanding of the wider socio-economic and environmental implications of risks such as BSE in rural Western Canada.
More specifically, we will:
- Identify the social, economic, and environmental effects BSE has had and/or continues to have on producers and rural communities;
- Locate BSE among a wider set of risks and vulnerabilities farmers and rural communities face in Western Canada (e.g. other livestock disease, wider structural changes in occurring in agriculture, etc.);
- Better understand factors related to farmer and rural resilience to risks such as BSE;
- Discuss and communicate the implications of risks and vulnerabilities that farmers and rural residents faced throughout the BSE crisis and continue to face into the future.
Research tools
- Mail out surveys
- Individual interviews
- Focus group interviews
- Audio and Video documetation/communication
- GIS Spatial mapping/analysis
Community Partners:
- Prionet
Funding:
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Contact:
Troy Stozek
Email: troystozek@gmail.com
Colin Anderson
Email: c_anderson @ umanitoba.ca
Phone: 1-204-474-7949 or Toll-Free: 1-866-580-8160
Farm to Fork Research
Originating in an evaluation of how farm families adapted to the BSE crisis, this project has since focused on direct marketing as an adaptation, not only to BSE but also to rural decline and emerging opportunities in local markets. We are exploring the intricacies of alternative food networks and the implications for all stakeholders involved.
This research has many contributors from both rural and urban Manitoba. Colin Anderson is coordinating these efforts under the supervision of Stephane McLachlan as the basis of his PhD dissertation research.
Contact
Colin Anderson: c_anderson @ umanitoba.ca
Farmer-focused Risk Analysis of Genetically Modified Herbicide-tolerant Canola and Wheat in the Canadian Prairies
Ian Mauro, PhD candidate
2002-2008
The issue of genetically modified (GM) and herbicide-tolerant (HT) wheat is controversial. To date, rural communities (especially farmers) throughout Western Canada have largely been left out of the policy discussions on this important topic. This is a concern, as the knowledge of farmers and rural communities is essential for the development and assessment of suitable methods of food production.
Research Objective:
To document the attitudes and experiences of rural residents towards Roundup Ready wheat (and other GM crops) across the Canadian Prairies.
Research Team:
Stéphane McLachlan is Associate Professor at the University of Manitoba. Ian Mauro is a U of M PhD candidate. The research they conduct is community-focused and aims at developing and promoting the use of experience-based rural knowledge to analyze the benefits and risks associated with GM and HT crops.
GM Wheat Survey Theme Areas:
- Consumer perceptions of GM foods
- Rural community health
- Benefits and risks of GM and HT canola
- The impacts (social, economic, and agronomic) of GM and HT canola on farms and rural communities
- GM wheat technology and future research
- The pros and cons of Roundup Ready wheat
- Farmers willingness to grow various GM wheat systems
- Issues regarding GM wheat field trials
- The impact of GM crops on non-adopters
- Patent and infringement issues relating to GM crops
- Farmer stewardship and environmental impacts of GM crops
- Regulations
- Local rural knowledge and GM crops
- Demographics
Research Funding:
- MRAC
- SSHRC
We are independent researchers funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Manitoba Rural Adaptations Council (MRAC). The data we collect are for research and educational purposes. Moreover, we are confident that these data will influence policy. We have extensively consulted with farmers, farmer groups, other researchers, marketing agencies and industry in the development of this survey. This research is not being conducted for industry.
Previous Research:
Previous Farmer-Focused Research on GM Crops
For many years Ian Mauro and Stéphane McLachlan have been studying the impacts of GM crops on Prairie farmers and the environment. In spring 2003, they conducted a largely canola focused survey of farmers in Manitoba. The results of this study have been of great interest to farm groups, policy makers and industry worldwide. Data from the canola survey were presented to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in the fall 2003 and are now being published.
Community Partners:
Contact Information
Ian Mauro, PhD candidate
Environment and Geography
303 Wallace Building
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3T 2N2, Canada
Email: Ian_Mauro@umanitoba.ca
Office phone: 204.474.7949
Cell: 204.295.4958