Course:CONS200/2025WT2/Socio-Ecological Impacts of Blueberry Farming in British Columbia

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History & Background

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Socio-Economics

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Sustainability in Blueberry Farming

Importance of Sustainable Farming

As blueberry farming persists in being a large factor of British Columbia's agriculture, there is a need for sustainable practices and technology while the practices become more industrialized. The pressing threat of climate change and the variations in weather present a need for the industry to adapt in order to protect their production[1]. The changes present from climate change present new challenges to farmers in maintaining biodiversity, response diversity, and making up for potential loss of fruit with industrialized practices that are less sustainable, and all these new challenges present their own negative socio-economic outcomes[2]. As British Columbian blueberry farms yield less fruit, whether it be from pests, droughts, chemical inputs, or any of the other reasons, the results manifest in food crisis, lack of funding for wages and employees, and an inability to maintain costs of farming [3][4]. Implementing the proper sustainable farming techniques and practices is vital in ensuring the long-term success of blueberry farms in British Columbia and mitigating the socio-economic challenges present in the industry.

Sustainable Farming Techniques and Technology

While the industry for blueberry farmers is growing, the farmers continue to stray from the historical and sustainable harvesting and growing techniques of the British Colombian First Nations peoples [2]. The techniques and technology used to grow these large commercial crops are damaging to the environment seen in the pollution from pesticides and herbicides, excessive water use, and emission heavy fruit exportations[2]. The main efforts towards sustainability include organic farming, these growers show a movement back towards historical techniques but presents new challenges. Utilizing techniques such as integrated crop pollination[5], mulching, micro-irrigation systems, and pest control through soil quality and plant nutrition management[1] allow for optimal plant growth while limiting damage to sustainability. The higher risks of crop loss, disease management and insect/mite management posed the largest barriers stopping farmers from transitioning to more sustainable practices[6]. While spreading awareness and information about managing organic crops led to an increase in utilization of their techniques, the technology to apply these techniques in larger capacities is limited[6]. To shift British Columbia's blueberry industry towards more sustainable practices, there is a pressing need for technology that allows for the sustainable techniques used by smaller growers to be adapted by the larger commercial growers[6].

Solutions

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References

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  1. ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 Neilsen, G. H., Lowery, D. T., Forge, T. A., & Neilsen, D. (2009). Organic fruit production in British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Plant Science, 89(4), 677–692. https://doi.org/10.4141/cjps08167
  2. ↑ Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 2.2 Klassen, S. E. (2016). Principles and processes for food sovereignty: An evaluation of the blueberry sector in British Columbia (Master’s thesis). University of British Columbia. https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0319331
  3. ↑ Fraser, E., Legwegoh, A., Kc, K., CoDyre, M., Dias, G., Hazen, S., Johnson, R., Martin, R., Ohberg, L., Sethuratnam, S., Sneyd, L., Smithers, J., Van Acker, R., Vansteenkiste, J., Wittman, H., & Yada, R. (2015). Biotechnology or organic? Extensive or intensive? Global or local? A critical review of potential pathways to resolve the global food crisis. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 48, 78–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2015.11.006
  4. ↑ Fairey, D. (2022). Legislated wage suppression: Farm worker piece rate wage system needs to end in the BC blueberry industry. BC Studies, 215, 7–8, 10, 12–25, 115. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/legislated-wage-suppression-farm-worker-piece/docview/2764533028/se-2
  5. ↑ DeVetter, L. W., Chabert, S., Milbrath, M. O., Mallinger, R. E., Walters, J., Isaacs, R., Galinato, S. P., Kogan, C., Brouwer, K., Melathopoulos, A., & Eeraerts, M. (2022). Toward evidence-based decision support systems to optimize pollination and yields in highbush blueberry. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.1006201
  6. ↑ Jump up to: 6.0 6.1 6.2 Ferris, K., & Dessureault, M. (2013). Organic blueberry and cranberry production in British Columbia: Gaps analysis project report to the Organic Sector Development Program (Fraserland Organics BC Blueberry Council). E.S. Cropconsult, Ltd.  https://organicbc.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/I-176_Berry_GAP_Analysis_Final_Report.pdf
  7. ↑ En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Writing better articles. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Writing_better_articles [Accessed 18 Jan. 2018].


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