Steffanie is currently leading a research project on "Learning from the Land: Developing Capacity for Place-Based Learning at the University of Waterloo" and co-led the Land Skills for Wellness and Sustainability project. She welcomes prospective grad students to reach out if they are interested in any of the following (or related) areas: re-storying our connection to the land, nature connection, pedagogies about learning from the land, contemplative practices (such as learning circles), knowledge systems, food sovereignty, food system sustainability & localization, organic/ecological/regenerative agriculture, permaculture, ethnobotany.
Steffanie Scott’s reputation as a leading international scholar on topics related to food system change in China is confirmed by her co-authored book, Organic Food and Farming in China: Top-down and Bottom Up Ecological Initiatives. She led the Canadian Association for Food Studies (2012-14) and was inaugural co-chair of the Food System Roundtable of Waterloo Region. She teaches on sustainable food systems, decolonization, land-based pedagogy, and geographies of development. Steffanie was principal investigator for several research projects on Ecological Agriculture in China and China's Changing Food System.
Since 2003, Steffanie has supervised over 30 master’s and PhD students on a wide range of agri-food research topics in China, Vietnam and Canada. Steffanie did her doctoral work on land reforms, de-collectivization, and farmer livelihoods in Vietnam. Aside from her book, Steffanie has published over 65 academic articles and book chapters in journals including Agriculture and Human Values, Food Policy, Ecology and Society, Canadian Food Studies, Local Environment, Sustainability, and the Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development.
Steffanie grew up as a settler on Lekwungen and Coast Salish territories (Victoria, British Columbia). After completing her PhD at the University of British Columbia, she spent two years teaching at the University of Western Australia before moving to the University of Waterloo’s Department of Geography and Environmental Management in 2003. She is also cross-appointed in the School of Environment, Resources & Sustainability (SERS).
