hand holding soil and plant

Agriculture Research

Developing creative solutions for one of the world's most essential industries.

Agriculture research at UCalgary

The University of Calgary takes a transdisciplinary approach to one of the most urgent challenges of our time: building a food system that can feed a growing world while sustaining the land, water and communities it depends on. Our researchers work across the boundaries of veterinary medicine, engineering, science, public policy, business and One Health to develop solutions that are grounded in Alberta's landscape and relevant far beyond it.

This breadth is a deliberate strength. Agriculture at UCalgary is not siloed in a single faculty or school. It lives across six research areas, Veterinary Medicine, Schulich School of Engineering, Faculty of Science, School of Public Policy, Haskayne School of Business and One Health. You will find it in labs and on ranchland, in policy papers and startup accelerators, connecting researchers, policy experts, industry partners and communities in pursuit of a more sustainable food future.

Research themes
UCalgary agriculture research is organized around three interconnected themes: food systems and crop science, animal health and welfare and sustainable land use. This includes advancing precision agriculture technologies, studying livestock disease and biosecurity, developing climate-resilient crops and exploring the policy and economic frameworks that shape how agriculture evolves. By weaving together expertise from across disciplines, UCalgary researchers are finding answers that no single faculty could reach alone.

veterinary medicine

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alberta's only veterinary school, is at the heart of agriculture research at UCalgary. Recognized globally for its pioneering curriculum, UCVM recently doubled its intake to 100 students annually to meet the growing demand for veterinary expertise. Its research spans multiple areas of comparative biology and animal health, connecting veterinary science with engineering, policy, business and beyond. It is home to the Diagnostic Services Unit, the only lab in Alberta offering in-province livestock diagnostics, enabling rapid detection of endemic, zoonotic, and emerging diseases, improving animal health and welfare, protecting public health and food safety, and helping train Alberta's future veterinarians.

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Featured Initiatives

Our Impact


$9M

Government of Alberta investment in the Diagnostic Services Unit (2025)

$7M+

Genome Canada funding for the PeaCE pea crop resilience project (2023)

$3.7M

RDAR funding for 55 agriculture projects since 2021

#77

Active research projects on livestock farm animals (2023)


Agriculture in Action

See how UCalgary researchers and alumni are connecting the field to the future of food.

 Prairie Precision Sustainability Network

Research Facilities


Centre for Precision Agriculture and Sustainability

The Centre develops tools to improve yields, reduce environmental impact and help producers make better decisions about how they use land and resources.

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Kluane Lake Research Station

Exploring the viability of growing fresh food in Canada's North using off-grid hydroponics, microgreens, greenhouses and gardens.

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Agriculture, Biodiversity and Conservation Lab

The ABC Lab studies the sustainable intensification of agriculture and explores whether changes to landscape management can lead to mutually beneficial solutions for food, farmers, biodiversity, and climate.

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W.A. Ranches

One of North America's largest teaching and research ranches, giving students and researchers hands-on access to a real-farm setting, and home to the Agrivoltaics Research Park studying grazing land and solar energy together.

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Research to Market

Logan Skori (UCalgary Alumni) and Dr. Marcus Samuel took laboratory plant genetics and built AgGene, developing solutions to some of canola farming's most persistent challenges.

Alumni companies spotlight

Agriculture Research News