I started my practicum for the Winter 2023 semester at the City of Abbotsford. My project was with the Economic Development team about Technology in Agriculture. I had a chance to learn a lot about the workplace environment and gained a lot more knowledge about the agriculture industry in Abbotsford. My office skills have also improved and I’m now more comfortable using different Microsoft software to make my work better organized and effective.

The goals I set for this practicum were to:

  • Gain knowledge about local employers
  • Improve my office skills
  • Contribute to the research on Technology in Agriculture, both locally and globally
  • Improve my interpersonal skills
  • Have a better understanding of the municipal government of Abbotsford
  • Learn about organizational design, culture, and principles

Events

I have also had a chance to attend the Pacific Agriculture Show to see what types of technology are available for farmers/ growers to use to increase the efficiency and productivity of their businesses. At the show, I got to see the latest technology and innovations implemented in the agriculture sector and to meet and talk with professionals in the field about their products/ techniques.

Pacific Agriculture Show

Term Project

Final Presentation

For the period from January to April, I have done research on the technology in local agriculture and what they were used for. I have developed from the previous project by Cassasino, another practicum student.

I started the process by collecting data from local businesses/ farms on what types of innovations they were implementing or working on. I also read study reports from the Agriculture Department of UFV about agricultural innovations around the world. Once I finished gathering the necessary information, I started to write my report and work on my poster.

During the research, I learnt that Abbotsford is one of the most intensively farmed regions in North America and has the highest farm sales per hectare of any other Canadian city (Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce, 2022) directly boosting the local economy, bringing about job growth, and ensuring the nation and province have access to adequate food supplies (2022). For 14 years (2008-2022), the contribution of Abbotsford agriculture to the economy went up from $1.8 billion to $3.8 billion and accounted for 16,000 jobs in the city.

Knowing the importance of agriculture in Abbotsford and the growth of technology in today’s world, there is a need of investing in agricultural technology innovation. Using technology in agriculture can help with the areas listed below:

  • Solving labour shortages
  • Reducing costs (including labour)
  • Higher yields
  • Preventing climate change
  • Providing more sustainable food sources (less fertilizer/herbicides/insecticides), lower carbon/GHG footprint (transportation)
  • Better food tracking/traceability (food safety, less food waste)
  • Food security (shortening supply chains, developing multiple sources, climate change, global trade/conflict risks, etc.)
  • Changing consumer preferences (organic, vegan, non-GMO, dietary—lactose, glucose, etc.)

One of the biggest farming techniques that farms in Abbotsford are working on is Vertical Farming. ECO Farm and Affinor Growers are two of the farms that are implementing vertical farming in their businesses. Drone is also one of the things that people at the presentation were interested in the most. One example of drone use in agriculture is the drone scarecrow developed by UFV in 2015.

I presented my project to the community at the City Studio Hubbub on 2023, April 11. Alongside sharing my research with people, I also learnt much new information from other stations. It was a great experience overall and I had fun while learning.

I am confident that I have achieved all of the goals I set. I am grateful for the opportunity and all the help the City Hall employees and the University of the Fraser Valley gave me. I enjoyed the practicum and am looking forwards to more opportunities in the future!