New planning graduate fosters connections between food, community and land through research and volunteer work

Food systems planning researcher Elina Blomley graduates with a master’s of resource management in planning (MRM-Planning) this June. Reflecting on what drew her to this area of study, Elina shares, “Food helped me connect to community and land.”

After completing a bachelor of arts degree in Nova Scotia, Elina switched coasts and worked with FarmHub, a farmer-driven distributor of local and sustainable produce in Victoria, BC. She also volunteered with a non-profit organization called Red Cedar, where she participated in mutual aid food recovery and distribution to help those subject to houselessness. During this time, Elina learned from food growers around the province and started thinking about food systems.

“Once you open your eyes to the nodes of connectivity within your food system, you realize they are everywhere, and you are already engaging with it,” she says.

After these experiences and discovering the research of SFU professor Tammara Soma, Elina joined the MRM-Planning program. She was keen to learn more about multiple sectors in climate adaptation and resilience work — economics, law, climate science and planning — with the belief that combining knowledge in these fields is critical to identifying solutions.

Her graduate thesis explored the role government planners have in connecting local growers and schools. “Essentially,” she explains, “how can small and mid-scale food growers get their produce into public institutions? It’s more complicated than you might think!”