Research Assistant
photo credit: Garrett Grove
Email: amynorga@alum.ubc.ca
Education
- MSc – Soil Science – University of British Columbia (2020)
- BSc – Applied Biology (Honours) – University of British Columbia (2015)
Research Interests
- Nitrogen and phosphorus cycling and budgets on organic farms
- Using composts and manures as fertilizers and soil conditioners
- Using cover crops for nutrient cycling and soil health
- Greenhouse gas emissions accounting
Current Research
Project: Opportunity assessment of agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions and carbon sinks
Primary Activities/Objectives:
- Determine B.C.’s agricultural emissions profile to identify key GHG sources and sinks in the province
- Complete a multi-criteria analysis to evaluate beneficial management practices (BMP) for GHG reductions, costs and co-benefits
- Recommend next steps for evidence-based BMP programming for GHG emission reductions in the agriculture sector in B.C.
Past Research
Project: Improving Organic Vegetable Farm Sustainability through Enhanced Nutrient Management Planning
MSc thesis title: Soil, crop yield, and cost trade-offs of organic nutrient management strategies across mixed vegetable farms in southwest British Columbia
The goal of this research was to help improve nutrient management on organic vegetable farms to balance crop production with environmental stewardship. To do so, I worked with 20 producers across three regions of southwest BC (Fraser Valley, Pemberton, Vancouver Island). I quantified the costs, yields, and impacts to soil properties associated with a variety of commercial and/or on-farm organic amendment types to evaluate a novel beneficial management practice of calculating application rates based on nitrogen and phosphorus crop removal.
For more detail: Project page