A $3-million grant to kick-start research on sustainable food production
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Guelph University's Ralph Martin hopes to couple funding from Loblaw with government grants for research into areas such as food waste
by MIKE MULHERN
Ralph Martin has something every researcher wants – money. This summer, he started his new job as Loblaw Chair in Sustainable Food Production at the University of Guelph, backed by a $3 million grant from the grocery giant. Now all he has to do is find research projects that fit the mandate and couple his industry money with government cash.
"What is so helpful," Martin says, "you need some of that to approach most of the government granting agencies to get money." Martin, a plant and animal scientist, had been the director of the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada in Nova Scotia before taking up his new position at the University of Guelph. For the moment, he is developing projects. Money for the chair and the research comes from investing the $3 million and working with the annual proceeds. Martin expects that, with matching funds, he will be able generate about $250,000 for research annually.
Bob Chant, vice-president of corporate affairs for Loblaw Companies Ltd., said their goal is to "continue to support a safe, secure and sustainable food supply." Chant said Loblaw feeds roughly one-third of Canadians each week.
"Our goal," Chant says, "is to establish a global centre for excellence, bringing the best ideas and minds together to make Canada a world leader in sustainable food production."
Martin's task is to reach out to the research community but he also wants to hear from community and farm groups.
"I've already been getting some calls from people asking me to speak at meetings, workshops and conferences," Martin says, adding that he is contacting people, too, so he can link identified research needs to researchers on campus.
One of the key areas Martin sees for research is food waste. He points to a 2010 George Morris Centre study which found that an estimated $27 billion in Canadian food annually finds its way to landfill and composting. It also said that most food waste – 51 per cent – occurs in the home. Martin hopes he can fund research projects that tackle waste and other food-related issues and connect producers and consumers, two groups who rarely get to share ideas.
"I think it's going to be important for consumers to feel they are being heard with respect to the types of foods they want and where they can access them. Along with that comes a responsibility on their part to be respectful of their food."
Farmers, he says, have to be prepared for weather events that affect sustainability. "One of the issues I want to talk to farmers and farm groups about is how to adapt to variable weather and extreme weather events and to maintain yield stability." He says he is also interested in ways to conserve and generate energy on farms.
Martin is currently working with Bill Deen, associate professor in plant agriculture at the University of Guelph, to design experiments to improve the uniform establishment and survival of red clover in winter wheat crops. "There is an issue with patchiness of red clover in winter wheat," he says. "Bill has already done some work on this and we want to collaborate on this for the expected benefits of restoring some soil organic matter and fixing nitrogen to reduce inputs costs of N fertilizer."
Martin says farmers already do a lot toward sustainability for which they don't get credit or payment. "If they are using forages, for example, and managing their riparian zones and grass waterways really well, the consumer may not have any way of paying more for those good practices." He notes that climate change and increased population will likely mean that food prices continue to rise.
"As food becomes more valuable," he says, "I'm hoping that we'll all respect it more."
Loblaw, Martin believes, will get a head-start when it comes to a changing Canadian consumer market. BF