Research at Toronto Metropolitan University advancing sustainability in food production and equitable access to health care
When professors Habiba Bougherara and Lesley Campbell talk about the vertical farm technology they developed at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), the conversations often touch on how their innovation allows for year-round production of seasonal fruit and vegetables, eliminates the need for soil, pesticides and bee pollination, and automatically manages the growing environment based on data transmitted by biosensors embedded in plant stems.
But that’s only part of their innovation story. The potential impact of Dr. Bougherara and Dr. Campbell’s technology – which recently won a $1-million grant from the Weston Family Foundation’s Homegrown Innovation Challenge – goes beyond sustainable agriculture and into the broader realm of health.
“If we look at fruits such as berries, which is what we’re focusing on right now, we know they’re loaded with antioxidants and other healthy nutrients and that they’re not easily accessible for a lot of people, including those living in northern communities,” explains Dr. Bougherara, a mechanical engineering professor at TMU who paired her technological expertise with the horticultural knowledge of Dr. Campbell, a plant scientist. “Through our technology, we’re working towards sustainable agricultural methods as well as contributing to a more sustainable health ecosystem that can better support our communities.”
The latter goal aligns with TMU’s overall vision for health research, which seeks to address health challenges through solutions that span the diverse range of factors that determine health – from equitable access to health care and community services to livable cities, and reliable and affordable food supply.
Steven Liss, TMU’s vice president of research and innovation and a chemistry and biology professor, says achieving sustainability in the various areas that intersect with health supports a holistic approach that recognizes how people’s well-being is shaped by the socioeconomic framework in their community, region or country.
“We’re really moving away from that disease model to looking at how the interactions and engagements across the social enterprise are supporting people in their communities,” says Dr. Liss. “As part of this new way of thinking, we’re recognizing the changing nature in which the health care sector has to work professionally across the community – and that includes working with other health-care professionals and also with other support systems within the community.”
From a health-research perspective at TMU, this new way of thinking has translated into projects that support better health outcomes but don’t necessarily focus only on medicine or health care. Instead, the university’s researchers are exploring how health and well-being can be improved through sustainable solutions within housing, food security, livable neighbourhoods and inclusive architecture, just to name a few areas of research.
TMU researchers are also examining the health impact of systemic issues like poverty, racism and gender-based discrimination. Dr. Liss says there’s so much more to explore, given all the touchpoints between health and virtually all aspects of society and community.
“We know that environmental, economic and societal factors can have a significant impact on our health and quality of life,” he adds. “That’s why a critical feature of our research initiatives is that they’re not intended to be isolated or siloed but are, instead, based on a systems-thinking approach.”
Among other things, systems-thinking takes on the complexities of the world for people with disabilities and those facing other forms of discrimination and exclusion, says Karen Soldatic, the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Health Equity and Community Wellbeing, an $8-million, eight-year program whose primary goal is to create more inclusive, accessible and equitable understanding of the implications of social systems for the health outcomes of communities.
“We go beyond hospitals and medical clinics to take into account the health impact of societal systems such as city spaces and physical structures, thinking through factors such as accessible services, affordable housing and inclusive digital design,” notes Dr. Soldatic, a professor in TMU’s School of Disability Studies.
As an example of how physical structures affect well-being, she draws a link between the non-accessible design of many health clinics and the health outcomes of people with disabilities. Early learnings from a partnership between Dr. Soldatic’s team and DAWN Canada – a national feminist disability organization based in Montreal that has been working towards the advancement and inclusion of women and girls with disabilities for the past 40 years – have identified lack of accessibility in many aspects of a primary health-care clinic.
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