Sustainability, agriculture, innovation and food are the themes set for a new blog launched out of the University of Saskatchewan. The blog, SAIFood, is the brainchild of Stuart Smyth, an agricultural economist who holds the Industry Funded Research Chair in Agri-Food Innovation. In his introductory post, Smyth says the objective of the blog is “to be a conduit that communicates the knowledge generated in our ivory towers to those that ultimately fund this work.”
Smyth continues: “Academics have many ways of communicating, however, far too many journal papers and books are simply gathering dust on library book shelves. As society’s means of communicating changes from books and journals, so too must that of academics. By launching this blog, my goal is to be able to share some of the detailed, scientific information I see and receive, with a broader public. It is often said that academic research is a public good, yet it is hard to see how much good the public gets from academic research if they are unable to access it in an understandable way.
The four themes of this blog are captured in the title, that being sustainability, agriculture, innovation and food. All four themes are crucial for enhancing food security in the coming decades, but are also of keen interest to people of all walks of life. Sharing research that relates to these four themes will provide a reliable source of accurate information, for those interested in the subject, but also those seeking to learn more about the themes. The blogs will be factual and informational, national and international and occasionally, controversial. If you are one of those people that eats food, you will be interested in the blog.”
Future topics will include:
• A&W Canada’s unwillingness to support the Canadian beef industry
• the benefits of genetically modified cotton in Burkina Faso
Read the first SAIFood blog:
Human Health Benefits of Genetically Modified Flax Oil