The Social Implications of Agri-Genomics
The Social Implications of Agri-Genomics
Dr. Stephanie Eccles, postdoctoral fellow, led a workshop series in July 2025 entitled Putting Labour into Conversation with Emerging Food Technology. The group workshops included members of the research project, industry partners, and external research contacts related to the project. The two-day, half-day sessions were conducted on Zoom. The research team presented the project study’s findings thus far, and then the group engaged in a discussion aimed at identifying opportunities and key priorities for advancing a Just Transition in Canada’s food systems with a focus on the role and changing landscape of labour.
Eccles, S., McIntyre, A., Mukiri, J., & Glaros A. Land, Food, and Work in Conversations with Cellular Agriculture. (2025, October). [Poster presentation] Food and Agriculture Institute, University of the Fraser Valley.
This study evaluates future agricultural land suitability in British Columbia for key crops—cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, strawberry, kale, broccoli, and celery—under various climate change scenarios. Using spatial modelling and machine learning, it integrates historical crop data, high-resolution climate projections (IPCC’s SSP2, SSP3, SSP5), land capability, and economic indicators to assess suitability through the 21st century.
Results show northward expansion for cabbage, cauliflower, and lettuce in warming conditions, especially under high emissions. Strawberry, kale, and broccoli have mixed outcomes—gains in moderate warming but losses in high-warming scenarios. Celery suitability declines consistently, possibly due to data gaps.
The study provides a method combining geospatial, climatic, and economic data to guide policymakers in identifying new cultivation areas and supporting strategic land use and climate adaptation. The flexible model can be adapted for broader agri-food planning amid climate change.
Vakhshoori, S. V., Glaros, A., Newell, R. (2025). Farming futures in a changing climate: Spatial shifts in agricultural suitability across British Columbia under multiple climate change scenarios. Transdisciplinary Research on Integrated Approaches to Sustainability (TRIAS) lab, Royal Roads University, & Food and Agriculture Institute, University of the Fraser Valley. http://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.17536.55040
Agriculture 5.0 technologies such as alternative proteins, vertical farming, and cellular agriculture, are increasingly presented as solutions for addressing food security and environmental sustainability. The introduction of agri-genomics into these emerging food production techniques offers potential for scalable ways to improve food production efficiency.
To assess the environmental benefits of these innovations, life cycle assessments (LCA) are essential but still underdeveloped. LCA’s capture embodied and operational environmental outcomes, presenting a holistic view of a production process’ impacts. As agri-genomics techniques and tools are applied to emerging agri-food innovations, life cycle techniques afford novel opportunities to discuss their potential tradeoffs with greater transparency and robust data.
This report provides a backgrounder and overview of LCA methodology within mushroom cultivation, cellular agriculture, and vertical farming production systems, highlighting considerations for agri-genomics applications. It also provides recommendations for integrating LCA thinking into accessible decision-support tools to evaluate novel agri-food technologies.
Attrée, E., Newell, R., & Glaros, A. (2025). Intersection of agri-genomics and agriculture 5.0 technologies: Role for life cycle assessment. Transdisciplinary Research on Integrated Approaches to Sustainability (TRIAS) lab. Royal Roads University. http://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.35387.53282
