Caroline Begg

Image by Alex Tran.

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.

Caroline Begg is also:

  • Co-Director of Barbados Interdisciplinary Tropics Studies Program, McGill, https://www.mcgill.ca/bits/
  • 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.

Courses

AGRI 215 Agro-Ecosystems Field Course 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


AGRI 310 Internship in Agr./Environ. 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


AGRI 340 Princ of Ecological Agricult 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


AEBI 427 Barbados Interdisc Project 6 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

Dr Begg also teaches in the FMT program

FMT4 001 Fall Stage 1.33 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


FMT4 009 Soil Fertility 2 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


FMT4 010 Winter Stage 1.33 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


FMT4 013 Agricultural Internship 2 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


FMT4 017 Agricultural Systems 1.33 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


FMT4 018 Enterprise Management 1 2.33 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer


FMT4 019 Nutrient Management Plan 2 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

Publications

See also on ResearchGate

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

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