Upcoming Events
Upcoming events
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The Food Studies Interdisciplinary Research Group of the Calgary Institute for the Humanities aims to build and foster a network of food studies scholars from the UCalgary community and beyond. Working across disciplines, we promote critical scholarship from the broad area of food studies.
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Growing future growers – Understanding pathways into horticulture in the UK
Many visions of future food systems include the prospect of greater consumption of plant crops, which implies more people working to produce them. Future horticulturalists might be new entrants to agriculture or those encouraged to transition away from livestock farming; however, both pathways are far from smooth. In this seminar, Dr. Hannah Pitt will explore findings from research into both potential pathways and what they suggest about the knowledge underpinning food system resilience.
The first project explored experiences of trainee farmers hosted by agro-ecological farms and growers in the UK, and of those supporting their learning. The second considered how Welsh livestock farmers might be supported to become horticulturalists. Both projects suggest that learning to become a grower requires greater certainty around the economic viability of living as a horticulturalist and identify challenges around navigating identities and cultures that currently separate rural communities, thereby limiting knowledge flows. Rhiannon Craft and Barbora Adlerova, both post-graduate researchers at Cardiff University, contributed invaluable assistance to the research.
Suggested readings:
- Craft, R., & Pitt, H. (2023). More than meat? Livestock farmers' views on opportunities to produce for plant-based diets Agriculture and Human Values. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-023-10533-4
- Pitt, H. (2021). What knowledge is required to grow food? A framework for understanding horticulture’s skills ‘crisis’. Journal of Rural Studies, 85, 59-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.05.001
- Pitt, H. EFRA Committee: Inquiry Education and Careers in Land-based Sectors. In. https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/126113/pdf/
Dr. Hannah Pitt is a lecturer in Environmental Geography in the School of Geography & Planning at Cardiff University, Wales, UK. Her research explores interactions between communities, places, and sustainability, particularly within food systems. Most recently, her focus has been on skills and work in UK horticulture. She often collaborates with third-sector/community organizations and has a particular interest in understanding human-plant relations.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Upcoming 2023/24 Events
Please return to this page for more event and registration information, as released.