UFV undergrads stand out at national sustainable agriculture hackathon

Two University of the Fraser Valley students are being recognized after holding their own at a national hackathon focused on scaling sustainable agriculture.

Agriculture science student Mwenda Dyck and environmental studies student Jason Lighton travelled to Winnipeg in October to compete in the two-day Sustainable Food Systems for Canada (SF4C) hackathon, hosted at the University of Manitoba campus. The event brought together students and mentors from across Western Canada to tackle real-world food security and farming challenges under intense time pressure.

Dyck and Lighton were the only undergraduate students at the event, which was part of the Sustainable Foods for Canada platform—a national food security initiative co-led by University of the Fraser Valley.

UFV faculty member Stefania Pizzirani said that was intentional.

“They don’t need another 10 years of experience to be on par with graduate students,” she said. “Titles matter a lot less in the real world. It’s about who you are, what skills you bring to the table, and what you have to say.”

Participants were placed into interdisciplinary teams and given a challenge statement to solve in a short period of time. Dyck’s team worked on a problem posed by Nature United: how farmers can tell whether regenerative agriculture practices are actually working.

Regenerative agriculture goes beyond sustainability by aiming to improve soil health and ecosystems through practices like no-till farming, rotational grazing, and increased biodiversity—without relying on chemical fertilizers.

Dyck teamed up with a computer scientist, engineer, and soil scientist, and said mentorship played a key role.

“They mostly watched from a distance, but when they heard something, they were great at focusing us and keeping us on the right track,” he said. “When our group started talking about an idea we called the ‘farm resilience score,’ one mentor said, ‘That’s what you need to dial in on.’”

Dyck also drew on his own experience working on a farm that’s experimenting with regenerative practices.

“I was able to share some of the real-world problems that come with that,” he said. “It was intense—whiteboards, sticky notes, ticking clocks—but a great exercise in managing stress.”

Lighton’s group tackled a different challenge and faced similar pressure. He said the experience pushed him far outside his comfort zone.

“I was intimidated working with people who have PhDs and master’s degrees,” he said. “But even though I felt less qualified, my voice mattered. All of my ideas were useful.”

He added that mentors helped prepare teams for their final two-minute pitch.

“The last thing you want is to be in front of judges stumbling over your words,” he said. “Our mentor really prepared us well.”

Mentors at the hackathon included representatives from Nature United, McCain, TELUS, and the South East Research Farm. While teams officially worked eight hours, many continued late into the night refining their ideas.

Pizzirani said feedback from organizers was clear: judges couldn’t tell who the undergraduates were.

“That realization—that they are emerging as experts in their fields—is something I hope they hold onto,” she said.