Faculty Lecturer; Director of Stage, Farm Management and Technology Program
T: 514-398-8749 | caroline.begg [at] mcgill.ca (Email) | Raymond Building R2-028A | LinkedIn
Degrees
BSc(Agr) (McGill) MSc (Sask) PhD (McGill)
Short Bio
Caroline Begg, PhD, is a Faculty Lecturer in the Department of Plant Science and Director of Internship (FMT). Dr Begg has worked in the field of sustainable agriculture in Tanzania and the Philippines. Her main interest is in ecological agriculture; other research interests include the relationships between spatial patterns of crop and soil parameters in agricultural fields. Dr Begg conducts research on food security on the island of Montreal and on ecological agriculture practices focusing on soil and crop management. Caroline teaches a number of courses both at the degree and the college level and supervises 10 to 15 undergraduate projects including Honours theses per year. She is the mentor to the Macdonald Student-Run Ecological Garden (MSEG). Caroline is president of the Marché Ste Anne, a growing farmers market located in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue and Vice president of École-O-Champ, an agricultural education organization which is the official representative of Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC) in Quebec.. As well, she serves on the Board of Corbeille de Pain, a food security organization in the West Island.
Coordinator and Advisor for the Ecological Agriculture certificate
Coordinator for the Ecological Agriculture Specialization and minor
Mentor (Academic), Food Production and Environment Domain, McGill School of the Environment
Associate Member, McGill School of the Environment, AES
Member of the McGill Sustainability System Initiative
Awards and Recognitions
2019: Award of Excellence, Honourable Mention- Outstanding Post-Secondary Educator, Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication
2016: Principal’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching
2016: Macdonald Campus Award for Teaching Excellence
2013: McGill Faculty Award for Excellence in Alumni Activities
2012: McGill Office of Sustainability Award for Staff Contribution to Sustainability
2007: Canadian Association of Diplomas in Agriculture Programs Award for Teaching Excellence
2004: CANCID plaque in recognition of outstanding contribution to sustainability of land resources
Active Affiliations
Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA)
Canadian Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (CANCID)
Canadian Organic Growers
President, Marché Ste-Anne (Farmers' Market)
Member of the Executive Board, Corbeille de Pain / Bread Basket Lac St Louis
University Committees
Adjudication Committee - Principal's Prize for Excellence in Teaching (PPET) (2020-2023)
Steering Committee Member for the Margaret A. Gilliam Institute for Global Food Security of McGill University 2020-ongoing
McGill Sustainability Project Fund Governing Council faculty member (2017 -2021)
Bicentennial Student Sustainability Challenge (Impact200) Committee, McGill (2019-ongoing)
Brace Centre for Water Resources Management Academic Committee
McGill Sustainability Coordinating Group
Procurement Sustainability Planning Core Team
Outreach activities
Dr. Begg is the mentor to two Macdonald Campus clubs: the Macdonald Livestock Judging Club, and the Macdonald Student-Run Ecological Garden (MSEG).
President, Marché Ste-Anne (Farmers' Market), https://marchesainteanne.ca/
Member of the Executive Board, Corbeille de Pain / Bread Basket Lac St Louis https://www.corbeilledepain.com/
Vice-President École-O-Champ https://www.ecole-o-champ.org/
Industry advisory member of the 4-H Quebec executive board
Research Interests
Dr Begg's main interest is in ecological agriculture and in food security; other research interests include the relationships between spatial patterns of crop and soil parameters in agricultural fields. Her goal is to increase agricultural producers' awareness of variability within the field and the impact this has on crop growth and sustainable agriculture.
Current Research
Dr Begg conducts research on food security on the island of Montreal and on ecological agriculture practices focusing on soil and crop management. Her additional interest is in the relationships between spatial patterns of crop and soil parameters in agricultural fields and using GIS to identify interactions.
Agriculture: Through case studies and field trips, students will examine the problems and constraints within the Canadian agro-ecosystem, including the interrelationships among food production, the environment, agricultural policy and social issues. Research in this field of study will also be introduced.
Offered by: Plant Science
This course carries an additional charge to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips to agricultural enterprises. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period
Agriculture: Focus on low-input, sustainable, and organic agriculture: the farm as an ecosystem; complex system theory; practical examples of soil management, pest control, integrated crop and livestock production, and marketing systems.
Offered by: Plant Science
3 lectures and one 2-hour seminar
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken AGRI 250
Biology (Agric & Envir Sc): The planning of projects and research activities related to tropical food, nutrition, or energy at the local, regional, or national scale in Barbados. Projects and activities designed in consultation with university instructors, government, NGO, or private partners, and prepared by teams of 2-3 students working cooperatively with these mentors.
Restriction(s): Restricted to students that are participating in the Barbados Interdisciplinary Tropical Studies Field Semester
**Since this course is being taught abroad, the Victoria Day statutory holiday will not be taken into consideration. Therefore, students are expected to attend their lecture on Monday, May 18, 2020.
**Due to the intensive nature of this course, the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Add/drop is the second lecture day and withdrawal is the fifth lecture day.
Farm Management Technology V.4: Objectives are to familiarize students with the workplace functions of a farm manager as well as the conditions under which they are exercised. Through classroom activities and a one-week internship on an agricultural enterprise other than the home farm or business, students are exposed to the job of a farm manager and the potential for entrepreneurial initiatives.
Farm Management Technology V.4: Objectives are the interpretation of soil fertilization practices and amendments for crop production, in relation to the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of soils. Topics discussed include soil sampling, soil test reports, soil pH and liming, nutrient management and environmental concerns, sources of nutrients, microbe-soil and soil-plant interactions.
Farm Management Technology V.4: Objectives are to develop the skills needed to analyze the operations; to determine the performance criteria that are related to the workplace functions of the farm manager and establish the relationships with the critical skills and knowledge required for their successful completion. Classroom activities and a one-week internship on an agricultural enterprise other than the home farm or business, expose the students to operations that are normally undertaken by farm managers during the winter months.
Farm Management Technology V.4: During a 13-week summer internship on an agricultural enterprise other than the home farm or business, students analyze the tasks and management operations that are a function of the agricultural enterprise manager and determine the performance criteria used for each operation. Students, by working, completing the tasks and asking questions, establish the relationships between the critical skills and knowledge required for successful execution of the various tasks and the position of each task within the overall management of the enterprise.
Offered by: Farm Mgmt & Technology Program
Terms
This course is not scheduled for the 2023 academic year
Instructors
There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023 academic year
Farm Management Technology V.4: An overview of the scientific, political, social and cultural aspects of agriculture and food. Topics discussed include agricultural sustainability, local food, food security, urban agriculture, permaculture, biodynamic and organic agriculture. Emphasis is on Canadian issues and perspectives.
Farm Management Technology V.4: Objectives are to develop students’ ability to analyze the management practices, human resources, business operations, and the future potential for entrepreneurial initiatives, of the home agricultural enterprise or another agricultural enterprise during the 13-week summer internship.
Offered by: Farm Mgmt & Technology Program
Terms
This course is not scheduled for the 2023 academic year
Instructors
There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023 academic year
Farm Management Technology V.4: Objectives are to familiarize students with the environmental laws and regulations that oversee the development of a Nutrient Management Plan. Collect pertinent data for the realization of their own five year nutrient management plan, along with the nutrient management strategies selected to reduce the environmental impact of the agricultural activities of the farm.
Luoh, Jen Wen, Caroline B. Begg, Rachael C. Symonds, Dolores Ledesma , Ray-Yu Yang 2014, Nutritional Yield of African Indigenous Vegetables in Water-Deficient and Water-Sufficient Conditions, Food and Nutrition Sciences, 5: 812-822
Bernatchez, F., Jeannotte, R., Begg, C.B.M., Hamel. C. and Whalen, J.K., 2008, Soil fertility and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi related to trees growing on smallholder farms in Senegal, J Arid Environments 72: 1247-1256
Larocque, G., Fyles, J. and C.Begg 2001. Spatial distribution in soil variables and crop yield: New insights on site-specific agricultural management. CSSS Annual Meeting University of Guelph
Outreach activities