Aleksandra Tymczak is a PhD Candidate in Urban and Regional Planning at the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta. Her research focus is on the agricultural system in Alberta, with a particular interest in the local honey and berry industries
During Aleksandra Tymczak’s undergraduate program (BSc in Nutrition and Food Science) she developed a passion for food safety which led to pursuing an MPH in food safety. It was also a wonderful opportunity to gain more knowledge and experience in food safety within the sphere of policymaking and research.
While pursuing the MPH degree and especially during the practicum with the Food Safety Branch within the Government of Alberta, she developed a further interest in the local food systems within the province of Alberta, which motivated her to pursue a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning with a thesis focus on the agricultural system and local food production in Alberta.
Exploring the current agricultural system in Alberta
The current research is focused on the province of Alberta, as it is unique in that it is structured as a large-scale, landlocked exporter of bulk, semi-processed and processed commodities such as agri-food products. The research investigates how this century-long focus on large-scale production and a few export-oriented commodities has created the present agricultural system. Since the consumer demand for local food in Alberta continues to expand, this research also zooms in to explore small-scale agricultural production and how the current agricultural system impacts the expansion of small-scale, local food production within Alberta.
Within the Albertan agricultural system, she has chosen to focus on the honey industry and berry industry. She chose to research the honey industry because Alberta has the largest beekeeping industry in Canada, with over 40% of all honey bees in Canada. Honey production in Alberta also includes a range of beekeepers, including hobbyists, side-liners, and commercial producers. The crop intensification within the agricultural system makes the province of Alberta a desirable geographic location for beekeeping and honey production due to the large quantity of nectar-producing crop land yielding, on average, 200 pounds of nectar per hive.
She chose to research the berry industry because it is an expanding industry in Alberta with an increasing variety of berry products being grown, such as haskap berries, elderberries, and sour cherries, in addition to strawberries, raspberries, saskatoons and black currants. There is also a variety of producers within this sector, ranging from U-pick farms to producers who also process their berries and sell value-added products such as jams, beverages, and frozen berries.
Her research is investigating and mapping out the history and evolution of the institutions in Alberta relating to the agricultural system and food production; identifying the motivations for new entrants to begin new or different operations within the agricultural system; mapping out and critically assessing the knowledge sources available for new entrants within the agricultural system and; critically analyzing the barriers and enablers for producers within the agricultural system to scale up their operations.
