Where we turn to stay up on what is happening in the world of agriculture, food, & innovations
It’s impossible to find all in the information you want from just one source and site. Here at SAIFood, that’s not our mission, nor could we ever be able to offer all the information people are seeking that relates to sustainable agriculture, innovation and food. That’s just too big a job for our small operation. So, we thought we would recommend some sites we frequent to get information on what is happening in these topics.
Sites we highly recommend:
1. Genetic Literacy Project
One website we value and trust is the Genetic Literacy Project (GLP). This educational and non-profit site is aimed at wide audiences to “promo[te] science literacy and improv[e] the lives of [the] global community”. GLP’s focus is science and genetic research. In the past year they have dedicated a large proportion of their website to the current events of COVID. Typically, the daily articles are broken down into one of two themes: food & ag or human related stories. The articles are often reprints or summaries of articles that have been published elsewhere, along with original pieces as well. While GLP was a favourite of ours before the pandemic, we found that during the peaks of COVID news, GLP was a great site to find reliable information that focused on the science and facts.
2. Farm and Food Care
As a Saskatchewan based blog, we like to stay up to date on what is happening locally by following the local news, reading the weekly publication of the Western Producer, and pre-COVID we often found ourselves catching up with students, faculty, and others coming and going from the Agriculture building. However, during this pandemic, we have felt a little disconnected from the industry, and so we have found that one way to feel connected is through Farm & Food Care (FFC) Saskatchewan. If you are not aware of FFC, they are a coalition that works to link “livestock, crop and horticulture producers, government, individuals and businesses… to help people understand food and farming”. Not only will you find numerous articles and resources, but they also have a calendar that keeps you up to date on all the events taking place locally. Take the time to check them out, we are certain there is something on FFC for everyone. You can also go to Farm Food 360◦, where FFC takes you on a virtual tour of some of Canada’s farm and food industries, from oat production to turkey farming, you can learn a lot and see things you wouldn’t have access to otherwise.
3. The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity
The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity‘s (CCFI) mission is to “help Canada’s food system earn trust”. Each year they put out an annual report on how the Canadian food industry is meeting public trust of consumers. They have a number of resources you can read on their research whether its about alternative proteins or transportation of livestock, they offer a glimpse into what is taking place and what’s the pulse of Canadian consumers views of these areas.
4. Ag-West Bio
We are big fans of Ag-West Bio (AWB). If you are unfamiliar with AWB, you should definitely check out their webpage and Twitter account. While they are not a source for daily news, they are a place to find out more about innovations. Their mandate is to “help move research to market and grow biobusiness” in our province. As a non-profit, AWB works with both public and private research and companies, representing a diverse membership of ‘bio’ related industries. As a result, AWB is well connected with the innovators and entrepreneurs of our province, and through their website, social media, and events, AWB works to connect their members with the general public and help create awareness. There is so much we can say about AWB, but we think it is far better for you to go to their webpage and learn about them yourselves.
Some of our favourite Twitter accounts that we find always post interesting content:
International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications
SAIFood supports the scientific and economic evidence on the benefits of GM crops and therefore we follow @isaaa_org daily, as they keep us updated on the newest global details of GM crop science and policy.
Alliance for Science
For years we have been proudly following Alliance for Science & support their mission to advocate “for science-based solutions to the key issues of our time, including reducing agriculture’s environmental footprint, mitigating the climate crisis, reducing poverty, and improving food security and nutrition”. On their Twitter @ScienceAlly and through their resources which can be found on their webpage, they support science and are leaders in correcting misinformation about science.
Professor Sylvain Charlebois
Sylvain Charlebois of Dalhousie University is an excellent communicator through his numerous platforms and is a frequent expert in Canadian Media when it comes to food and agriculture. Be sure to follow both his twitter account @FoodProfessor and podcast “The Food Professor” if you are wanting to stay up to date on Canadian food news. Dr. Charlebois and his research team run an Agri-Food Analytics Lab where they are working to understand the future of food. You can find their great work both through Twitter, the podcast, their website, or the numerous articles they publish in Canadian media and journals, links below:
Too many to list
There are just too many to list and give the attention they deserve, but we will list a few more below with Twitter links and we hope you will check them out!
- @agbiousask
- @realagriculture
- @CaulfieldTim
- @TamarHaspel
- And last but not least, we love @nick_saik‘s Youtube videos “Know Ideas Media“
