Hi everyone! Classes are starting again and hopefully things are looking bright this year. I got to talk to a number of people during the first Global Resource Systems class and it seems like there’s potential for lots of interesting projects and developments this year.

I’m writing this post for a couple reasons: first to update where it looks like I’m heading in this program, and second, to provide something of a plan for where this blog is going over the next semester.

I transferred to the GRS program in my second year from Arts. Originally, I was looking to combine my interests in politics and economics with the Econ/Polisci combined major. GRS allowed me to take a closer look at food production, and I was considering the policy field.

After having done a course in International Agricultural Development (FRE 340 – fantastically taught by Chris Bennet), plus LFS 250, and ECON’s Wealth and Poverty of Nations course, I’ve become more focused on development as a field. By development I don’t just mean the economic development of the Global South, but also redevelopment in Western countries as our economic needs undergo radical shifts in the coming decades, due to technological progress on the one hand, and climate change, economic turmoil, and political and social changes on the other. After having followed the Idle No More movement over the past year, the possibilities for First Nations to initiate economic growth on traditional lands beyond natural resources is a subject I would like to examine. That includes consulting in getting businesses started, food production, and also sustainable natural resource opportunities. Internationally, I want to look at ways in which Europe, Russia, Canada, and other “global North” countries can devise development policies and programs to work toward mutually beneficial social and economic outcomes with the global South, and particularly to better manage the underlying causes of mass migration.

On this blog, I plan to start looking at these and other development topics in depth. If possible, I would like for other people in development, GRS, or simply interested parties to begin networking more and using our blogs to discuss these topics online. I will be posting more regularly – I’m going to try for a new post every two weeks or so, in order to balance quality writing and regularity in posting.

LFS 350 offers a particularly exciting opportunity this year: my group will be working with Inner City Farms in order to identify future retail opportunities. As I want to look at business consultation for growing firms in the development field, I’m pretty stoked. I’ll cross post from the group blog when those begin coming out – currently I am still waiting for authorization.

Hopefully this year will bring about greater focus as well as a broadening of horizons – no, that’s not contradictory. I’m looking forward to working with you all again. Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll join in the fun!

Warning: further reading of this and related blogs may result in increased awareness levels and tendency to adopt sustainable lifestyles.

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