LFS 350: Land, Food, and Community is an introduction to tools and skills required to assess the economic, ecological, social, and technological components of managed landscapes, agrifood systems and communities comprising the land, food, nutrition, and health continuum.
The overarching goal of this course is to develop a successful service-learning community of practice, to participate and respond to community needs, and to promote a socially responsible, ethical, and culturally sensitive framework to potentially contribute to healthier and sustainable communities, primarily in BC.
As a community-based experiential learning course, LFS 350 gives students the opportunity to work in small groups with a partner organization. In 2012, for example, students were engaged in a myriad of research projects across the lower mainland. One group worked with Squamish First Nation’s Harmony garden. Speaking of their time spent in the community, the students commented “It added so much meaning to our project as we got to know those who we would be helping and truly connect with the community.”
All of the groups contributed to a blog, which documented their experiences working in community.
In the Fall of 2013, LFS 350 students captured their experiences volunteering at the UBC Farm in the Aboriginal Health Garden with this video, part of the Harvesting Stories series. The fourth & final instalment, created entirely by undergrad students in LFS 350, highlights the Indigenous initiatives at the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm, and how the Aboriginal Health Garden helps youth re-connect with land and culture.
LFS 350 students also contributed to the building of an Ethnobotany Database, their blog can be access here
For more information, contact:
Dr. Eduardo Jovel (ejovel@mail.ubc.ca)
Director, LFS Indigenous Research Partnerships, UBC Faculty of Land and Food Systems
http://www.aboriginal.landfood.ubc.ca/