Genetic scientists in B.C. are trying to breed a better bee that can survive a mysterious new phenomenon that is wiping out colonies across North America.

 

On Monday, the provincial government gave Genome BC $25 million to continue research on a variety of health, agriculture, forestry, fishing and mining molecular biology projects, including more than $2 million to try to understand the root causes of "Colony Collapse Disorder" in honey bees.

 

That disorder, discovered in 2006 after it wiped out whole apiaries in the U.S. and Canada, has created a crisis because bees are the world's major pollinators. Between one-quarter and one-third of all food produced in the world originates from insect pollination, according to Paul van Westendorp, the chief apiculture specialist for the province's Ministry of Agriculture.

 

But determining the cause of CCD is proving difficult. Scientists believe it may be caused by a variety of compounding problems including new viruses, diseases and prolonged exposure to insecticides and herbicides. But one of the key factors is believed to be a virulent pest called the Varroa Mite, which latches on to bees and their larvae and sucks blood out of them.

 

The research being done by Leonard Foster at the University of B.C. will look at mapping the DNA of honey bees and isolating strains of the insect that are resistant to varroa, van Westendorp said.

 

"Much of the thinking is that ultimately the bees themselves must develop some form of better, natural resistance to these viruses and mites. But in order to select for that kind of genetic bee stock, you have to carry out nothing but endless amounts of research and selective breeding and that takes a lot of time. We don't have that kind of time," van Westendorp said.

 

"What Dr. Foster is involved with is developing a very good diagnostic tool that can be employed where certain lines of bees with certain genetic characteristics can be quickly identified and selected. Those can then be selected for further breeding."

 

Foster was away on holidays and could not be reached for comment.

 

The bee project is just the tip of the iceberg for Genome BC, a not-for-profit agency that works with academia, government and industry to apply molecular biology solutions to various industry and health sectors.

 

The $25 million, when coupled with another $50 million the province gave Genome BC in 2008, will be leveraged into $300 million in research funding with the help of the federal government, private industry and charities. A first phase of Foster's bee research was also funded at that time.

 

"What this gets us, if you like, is applications of genomics towards actual products or services in those sectors, which will then provide more jobs and competitiveness for the industries or governments operating in those sectors," said Alan Winter, the president and CEO of Genome BC.

 

The bee project is especially timely, he said. "The concern has been whether any one of a number of viruses is causing Colony Collapse Disorder. I think [Foster's] view is that it is not just one but several, so he needs to understand not only the genome of the bee but all the different types of viruses and how they interact and how that affects bees under stress."

 

More than 60 per cent of the money will go toward medical and health research, with the rest split between agriculture, forestry, fishing and mining. Winter cited three personal health projects where molecular biology is showing results: dealing with adverse drug reactions in children, targeting specific cancers at the cellular level and trying to counteract the need for anti-rejection drugs in transplants.

Other non-medical projects include trying to identify the triggers in acid rock drainage in mining and creating disease-resistant shellfish.

 

Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun, August 17, 2011  

 

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A new packaging technology promises to help fruit growers lengthen shipping times at the same time as getting fruit to market in a fresher condition.

 

The new shipping containers combine special boxes, cooling techniques and an anti-microbial compound, allowing shipping times of up to a month, with the fruit arriving in a fresh-picked condition at its destination. Friday, Agriculture Canada announced they were investing $261,000 in helping Innovative Food Systems and the scientists at the Pacific Agriculture Research Centre complete development of the product.

 

"Our producers need cutting-edge technologies that will help them remain competitive in the global marketplace," said Okanagan Coquihalla MP Dan Albas, in making the funding announcement.

 

"We are creating and supporting a major economic sector in B.C. We are delivering on consumers' demands for freshness and environmental responsibility. And we are opening up new markets, so that future generations of farmers are well set to compete in global markets."

 

Dr. Perry Lidster, president and CEO of Innovative Food Systems, explained the packaging technology allows them to cool a closed and lidded box of fruit as quickly as they could without a lid on it. The addition of the anti-microbial agent that activates at high temperatures or high humidity helps prevent the development of fungi, mould and bacteria, ensuring the safety and quality of the fruit.

 

"We are able to withstand temperature abuses like product being left on the tarmac at an airport or on an unrefrigerated dock at a retail store and we are able to ensure that product will not decay, that there are no food-borne pathogens that are developing on that," said Lidster. "We are providing a premium ripe product that is actually harvested at a more mature stage rather than the dark green that you see on a tomato or peach; it's actually gone through some of its initial ripening process. So you are going to get something that we can sustain for a period of 25 to 35 days through the distribution system and have it ripe within a day at distribution centres."

 

Cost savings for producers come both from being able to use more economical shipping methods - like ocean or rail freight, rather than air - and fresher fruit at the destination means more sales, with less claims for damaged fruit.

 

"If you send cherries to market with dried stems because there was an interruption in the cold chain, then you have a product that is not going to sell," said Joe Sardinha, president of the B.C. Fruit Growers Association. He uses the Taiwanese market as an example. "They want large fruit, they want fresh-looking fruit, they want the green stems. If this preserves the greenness and freshness of the stem and also prevents the fruit from dehydrating ... you've really enhanced the value of your product and the quality of the product at destination."

 

Sardinha is pleased with the concept, though cautious about the long-term costs.

 

"This is pretty exciting. It will be interesting to see what cost factor there will be for the packaging over the standard packaging now," he said. "If it is offset by the savings in freight and then some, then I can see some real possibilities there." 

 

The horticultural sector is vital to Canada's agriculture industry and plays an important role in the economy. In 2010, the Canadian horticultural industry brought in close to $6 billion in farm cash receipts and generated exports of nearly $3.6 billion.  

 

This project is funded under the Developing Innovative Agri-Products initiative, which is delivered by the Growing Forward framework under the Agri-Innovations program, a $158 million five-year program announced to support industry-led science and technology projects.  

 

Steve Kidd, Penticton Western News, August 16, 2011 

 

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Vancouver is one of the greenest cities in North America, ranking second out of 27 major cities in the U.S. and Canada Green City Index report. As the world's largest burner of coal and emitter of industrial carbon dioxide (CO2), China, on the other hand, may not be the greenest of countries.

 

A constant layer of smog in Beijing is a stark reminder that carbon emissions are affecting air quality.

This is largely due to the fact that coal accounts for nearly 70 per cent of China's total energy consumption. But efforts are underway to lessen the environmental impacts of China's rapid industrialization and shift the economy towards one that favours sustainable development.

 

According to a new Worldwatch Institute report, "Green Economy and Green Jobs in China," the three sectors of energy, transportation, and forestry could provide at least 4.5 million green jobs in China in 2020.

 

China's wind power industry alone created an average of 40,000 direct green jobs annually from 2006 to 2010. But, according to the report, "greening can and should occur in all sectors of the economy."

Agriculture, for example, can contribute significantly to the green economy. Small-scale, sustainable farming encourages job creation and reduces the environmental impact associated with energy intensive industrial farming.

 

Because this type of farming is meant to be small in scale, it can be practised even in crowded cities where space is limited. Here in Vancouver, several urban farming projects are working to provide the community with fresh, local food by growing vegetables in backyard gardens. Kitsilano Farms, for example, converts unused backyard space around the Kitsilano neighborhood into productive vegetable gardens.

 

Inner City Farms is also focused on bringing urban agriculture to the city of Vancouver. Like Kitsilano Farms, Inner City Farms offers the community access to fresh, locally-grown produce through participation in a summer community supported agriculture (CSA) program. Fresh Roots Farm operates a CSA program as well, providing east Vancouver residents with local, healthy, organic food. Fresh Roots additionally offers educational opportunities through urban farming internships and workshops.

 

Then there's SOLEfood, an enterprising non-profit organization that is providing employment opportunities as well as fresh produce. SOLEfood is an urban farm located in Vancouver's downtown eastside neighbourhood. By providing residents with job training and employment, SOLEfood is directly contributing to the economic revitalization of this inner-city neighbourhood. Local residents are hired and trained to build, plant, maintain and harvest the farm, which sells its produce to local restaurants and community organizations and at farmers' markets, thereby strengthening neighbourhood food security.

 

Although agriculture contributes as much as one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, greening agriculture - by maintaining soil fertility and reducing soil erosion, increasing water use efficiency and decreasing deforestation, for example - could transform agriculture from being a major emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG) to possibly being a GHG sink. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), green agriculture has the potential to substantially reduce agricultural GHG emissions by annually sequestering nearly six billion tons of atmospheric CO2.

 

In addition to providing environmental benefits such as carbon sequestration, sustainable agriculture can provide significant economic opportunities and help reduce rural poverty. A vast majority of the 2.6 billion people worldwide who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods live in rural areas on less than US$1 per day. According to UNEP, evidence shows that sustainable or green farming practices could increase yields between 54 and 179 per cent. Increased crop yields mean that farmers not only have enough food to feed themselves and their families, but they also have a surplus that they can sell at local markets. Estimates indicate that for every 10 per cent increase in farm yields, poverty has been reduced by seven per cent percent in Africa and by more than five per cent in Asia.

 

Agriculture should be part of the equation in developing a new, green economy, both here at home as well as in China. As urban farms begin to emerge in Vancouver, so too do new opportunities for employment. And while China is starting to transition to a green economy, particularly in the areas of energy, transportation, and forestry, green agriculture also has enormous potential to create jobs, reduce poverty and protect the environment.

 

Danielle Nierenberg is project director of the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet project (NourishingthePlanet.org). Haibing Ma is the Worldwatch Institute's China Program Manager.

 

Special to the Vancouver Sun, August 11, 2011

 

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