Visiting Speaker Series: Dr. Melissa Arcand
Please join us for our next guest. Dr. Arcand will be on campus for this event. A Teams link is provided for guests to join virtually.
The SAGE Project: addressing the gap in First Nations鈥� access to knowledge and training in soil science and agriculture
First Nations in the Canadian prairies have a long-standing relationship to agriculture through historical treaties and contemporary agricultural production on their lands. In this region, roughly 1.5 million acres of First Nations reserve land is currently under annual crop production, yet it is estimated that more than 90% of this land is farmed by non-Indigenous farmers, administered through lease agreements. Due to the underrepresentation of Indigenous people from the production agricultural sector and the agricultural and environmental sciences, First Nations land managers who are tasked to manage lease agreements with producers are often at a deficit in knowledge of agricultural production generally, and beneficial management practices and soil stewardship more specifically. With expansion of agricultural land holdings via Specific Claims and Treaty Land Entitlement, there is urgent need for training and capacity building in agriculture for First Nations land managers, decision makers, and community members. The SAGE (Soil and Agroecosystem) Project was initiated to address this gap and is developing training materials targeted to a First Nations audience and delivering outreach activities within First Nations communities. Importantly, our outreach activities are integrated with cultural protocols and traditional knowledge, offering culturally relevant approaches to knowledge sharing for participants. This presentation will share the story of the development of the SAGE project, including research that grounds its motivation and approach for knowledge sharing in soil and agricultural land stewardship.
Time
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Location
Program room
MacRae Library
Cost
n/a
Additional Information
Dr. Melissa Arcand is an Associate Professor in the Department of Soil Science at the University of Saskatchewan and is a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 6. She researches soil health, carbon storage, and nutrient cycling in agroecosystems. She teaches and is the academic advisor for students in the Kanawayihetaytan Askiy (鈥淟et us take care of the land鈥� in Plains Cree) Indigenous land and resource management certificate program and is the Academic Lead for the kihci-ok芒w卯m芒w askiy Knowledge Centre at the University of Saskatchewan.