Sydney Hnatiuk

Agroecologist

BASc (Production Horticulture), MSc (Agroecology)

Sydney joined Upland in 2021, eager to participate in improving food systems through an agroecological lens. Approaching agroecology form a social sciences perspective, she is interested in how individuals relate to food and how these relationships shape the food systems which sustain regions and communities. Sydney’s perspective on food and agriculture is rooted in years of experience working on farms with both livestock and vegetable production in Alberta, British Columbia, and Norway. In addition to her rural work, she has extensive experience in urban food production and horticultural management in Calgary, Alberta. Sydney brings to Upland an array of experience in public engagement and hands on qualitative research from her education in Norway. She is an adept systems thinker, with experience in cross-sectoral stakeholder collaboration and collective visioning.

Sydney received a MSc in Agroecology from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Her thesis research sought to examine the role of community farming practices as a means of cultivating a sense of care and responsibility towards the broader food system. Sydney also holds a BASc in Production Horticulture from Olds College in Alberta, where she focused on food production in parallel to public education and skills development in urban agriculture.