Constant evolution of agriculture and science
The Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences (FSAA) was established as a result of changes in agricultural education in French Canada. Its story follows the ever-changing fields of agriculture and science. Throughout its history, the FSAA has demonstrated its leadership time and time again.
Affiliated with Université Laval in 1909, it becomes the College of Domestic Science in 1940.
January 30 : The School of Agriculture of Sainte-Anne-de-la Pocatière is granted Université Laval affiliate status. It can therefore award a diploma in agricultural science. The training program, open to all, would then last two years. This led to a certificate in agricultural abilities. An additional year of education gave students the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science and become an agronomist.
The school begins offering abridged courses to farmers.
Georges Bouchard, trained in agricultural sciences in the United States and Belgium, begins teaching. He is one of first Québécois professors at the School of Agriculture at Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière.
The training program is modified into two distinguishing areas of concentration:
- Farmers’ Course (part-time)
- Agronomy Course
The agronomy course admissions requirements are more selective.
Passing certain science courses becomes mandatory in order to continue studies.
December 6: The School of Agriculture gets affiliated with the Faculty of Science at Université Laval.
Affiliated with Université Laval and managed by the School of Agriculture of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, this school was abolished in 1962.
April 16 - The school becomes the Faculty of Agriculture. It may admit students to master’s and doctoral programs in agricultural sciences as of May 3rd of that year.
Specialized courses are launched, first focusing on farming potatoes and then on fruit trees, poultry farming, field crops, animal production, etc.
The community of La Trappe Oka announces its decision to drop higher education in agriculture by September 1st, 1960.
With the Quiet Revolution in full swing, under the leadership of Jean Lesage, the government creates the Agricultural and Agronomics Studies Study Committee. The governing Committee tables its report in December 1961.
April - Per the recommendations made by the governing Committee, the Faculty of Agriculture is transferred to the Université Laval campus in Sainte-Foy.
With new outreach activities in place, the Faculty of Agriculture offers its first term of professional development courses.
The College of Home Economics is integrated into the Faculty of Agriculture, giving birth to the Department of Dietetics.
Professor Roger Van den Hende sets about developing an educational garden that would be open to the public in 1978.
The home economics major program is created from programs found in the consumer sciences programs.
December 14 - The Faculty of Agriculture is renamed the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences (FSAA)
New training programs are created to integrate different dimensions of food production, processing and consumption. The Outreach Centre is created
The Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences’ (FSAA) commitment on the international scene is particularly reflected in the signing of agreements with developing countries and educational institutions in industrialized nations.
The Agriculture, Food Sciences and Consumer Science Week (SAAC) is created. This fully student-driven initiative has since become the largest student-organized agricultural show in Canada.
Establishment of the Centre for Research of Science and Technology of Milk (STELA)
Creation of the Centre Specializing in Greenhouse Crops, which would become the Horticultural Research Centre in 1990.
The distance Certificate in Food Safety is created and is the first certificate offered by Université Laval that is completely given off-campus.
The CRBR is a major grouping of research interests in reproductive biology at Université Laval. This research group is the result of a large number of collaborations that have taken place since the 1980s between approximately 10 researchers from the Department of Animal Sciences and the Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology.
While the official recognition request for the constitution of the CRBR was submitted in 1994 to authorities at Université Laval, as well as to the FCAR Fund, the status was officially granted in 1995
CRÉA came into existence in 1997 thanks to the leadership of its first director, Professor Rémy Lambert and its late second director, Professor Robert Romain. Its mission is to:
- Develop and apply theoretical and empirical knowledge to problem-solving
- Mentor and train highly qualified professionals.
- Disseminate the results of the work carried out to the scientific community and to the agri-food communication field.
- Meet the needs of society by intervening with decision-makers to help support the development of effective policies and regulation.
With this grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the FSAA begins adapting the Student Services Pavilion in order to house the Institute of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, now the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF). In addition to this upgrade, renovations of the food processing pilot laboratory are realized.
The INAF is a multi-university and multi-faculty research institute from the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences (FSAA). Starting with a group of just 10 researchers, it has since grown to nearly 80 renowned researchers from the three largest areas of research: science and engineering, health sciences and social sciences.
The Centre for Economics Research on the Environment, Agri-food, Transportation, and Energy was created through the merger of three research centres:
- The Centre for Research in Economics of Agri-Food (CRÉA)
- The Research Group on Energy Economics, the Environment and Resources (Groupe de Recherche en Économie de l’Énergie, de l’Environnement et des ressources Naturelles - GREEN)
- The Centre for Data and Analysis in Transportation (CDAT)
The work completed by CREATE aims to support the development and application of theoretical and empirical knowledge of economics of the environment, natural resources, energy, agri-food and transportation, in addition to the methodological developments that relate to these fields. In the spring of 2011, CREA, GREEN and CDAT came together to present a request to the Université Laval research commission for the recognition of CREATE. The research commission completed its considerations in May 2011 and an official response from the University Council was received in October 2011.
CREATE focuses on three lines of research: CRÉA (agri-food); GREEN (environment and energy); and CDAT (transportation). CRÉA, GREEN and CDAT have a rich history, which is why it was decided to name our areas of research after the names of the structures that merged to form CREATE. We are thus able to continue benefiting from the excellent reputations of each of these former structures.
The Office de la protection du consommateur (Consumer Protection Agency) awards its annual prize to Université Laval for the whole of its programs in consumer science offered by the FSAA Department of Agri-Food Economics and Consumer Sciences.
The School is a leader in the training of dietitians and nutritionists, as well as the advancement, transfer and exchange of knowledge in the field of nutrition. It aims to be an key partner both in health promotion and development, as well as health maintenance and its reestablishment. The School was officially inaugurated on March 12, 2015.
On December 2, 2014, following the creation of the School of Nutrition, the Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition changed its name to the Department of Food Sciences