As of July 2025, the Research Lab is actively involved in 3 global research projects:
1. Agroecology in Latin America: Building Paths
The Agroecology in Latin America Project : Building Paths is a Participatory Research-Action that aims to understand, through indicators, the social, environmental and economic impacts of Agroecology, in order to contribute to the construction of agroecological knowledge, the development of public policies, and the elaboration of projects that promote agroecological transitions and support family farmers in the management of their production units based on clear, consistent and evidenced information.
The project has been developed since 2020, through international cooperation, by a network of 10 organizations in 7 Latin American countries and has the participation of more than 313 farming families who are at different stages of the agroecological transition.
These families have been sharing information about managing their properties through the LiteFarm digital platform. The free and open-source platform was developed by the University of British Columbia (UBC) to assist farmers in managing their properties and conducting agroecology research.
Project Steering Committee:
- Association of Organic Producers – APRO (Paraguay)
- Asociación Vivamos Mejor (Guatemala)
- Cepagro (Santa Catarina, Brazil)
- Campesino Center AC (Mexico)
- CETAP (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)
- Corporación Buen Ambiente – Corambiente (Colombia)
- Patrons of Life Movement (Bahia, Brazil)
- Fundesyram (El Salvador)
- Movimiento de Economía Social y Solidaria del Ecuador (Ecuador)
- Tijtoca Nemiliztli Network (Mexico)
2. Agroecology4Climate:
Agroecology for Climate Adaptation and Mitigation (Ag4C) (website to be linked), focuses on researching agroecological transitions across Canada, India, Brazil and Germany. Agroecological transitions are defined as the intentional diversification of farming landscapes in collaboration with social movements and networks to create landscapes that foster dignified work, conservation of biodiversity, and mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. We particularly focus on transitions to diversified perennial systems. The project kicked off in September of 2024 with a gathering of researchers and community partners in Brandenburg, Germany and Kerala, India. The project will unfold through the next three years, collecting and analyzing soil field samples, conducting interviews and analyzing surveys.
3. OSC4
OSC4 research activities are priority-driven, Canada-wide studies advancing scientific knowledge and providing practical and economically viable solutions in five categories:
- Environment: Enhancing soil health, water conservation, and biodiversity through validated practices.
- Field Crops: Optimizing productivity and sustainability in field crop production.
- Horticulture: Advancing ecosystems-based vegetable and fruit production.
- Livestock: Improving animal health and increasing resilience of crop-livestock systems.
- Pest Management: Developing integrated pest management strategies.
4. LiteFarm
LiteFarm is a free and open source farm management tool made for current and aspiring sustainable farms. It was built by farmers and researchers coordinated by the University of British Columbia to address many of the challenges in farm management. It’s currently being used to manage farm operations in more than 155 countries.
