Thompson Rivers University’s Applied Sustainable Ranching program in Williams Lake has been renamed and revamped.
Now called Regenerative Agriculture, it offers numerous upgrades while retaining a solid foundation in business management and soil health.
One of the three new courses added to the program is Emergency preparedness.
Regenerative Agriculture Program Coordinator, Gillian Watt, said with the effects of climate change looming all around us,the importance of understanding and learning how to apply regenerative agriculture practices has never been more vital.
She said as all agriculture producers are producing food it’s important for them to try and increase their soil’s organic matter.
“It’s just like money in the bank. The more organic matter you have in your soils the less financial inputs you need to put in, chemicals, fertilizers, and things like that, and the more resilient you are to climate change. Your soils will actually hold a lot more water so it’s better able to withstand drought and flooding for that matter.”
In 2022 TRU’s Applied Sustainable Ranching program underwent an external review to seek areas for improvement and opportunity.
“Our core content is the same ”Watt said, “our pillars are a solid foundation for business management and all of the courses that go with that. We also have a solid foundation in the soil health and the natural resource part of the sciences that go with the business of farming, so all of those base courses and our diversification courses are all there.”
The other two new courses added to the Regenerative Agriculture program includes Food Sovereignty and Technology in Agriculture.
The next program intake is in January 2024.
For more information you can find it on TRU website here.
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