Jolie Gan – Using Artifical Intelligence (AI) to comparatively analyze social determinants of health affecting market access of cellular agriculture products among rural communities in Canada versus Southeast Asia

An imminent challenge jointly felt in Asia and Canada is the issue of food scarcity, food insecurity, and lack of sustainable food options, particularly in rural communities To mitigate this issue, a number of Asian cellular agriculture companies have developed unique business practices and operating procedures and have created effective alternate market access pathways to reach rural communities in Asia and to offer these communities sustainable food options at accessible and competitive prices, while remaining mindful of structural and cultural considerations.

There are a number of overlapping determinants affecting rural groups in Asia and Canada: many of these identified practices can also be modified and applied in a Canadian context to support the expansion of Canada’s cellular agriculture industry. Through this project, the intern will utilize artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, machine learning, and data synthesis tools, to comparatively analyze and identify social determinants affecting rural access to cellular agriculture products, adopted business practices and methods utilized by Asian cellular agriculture companies to address said determinants, and tailor these learnings to fit the context of the Canadian cellular agriculture innovation sphere. The intern will resume her position with the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency), following the conclusion of this project, providing guaranteed opportunities for key findings to be presented to and implemented by federal decision-makers. This project holds great promise as a bridge directly linking the tried and true business and innovation practices in Asia to support the growth and development of Canada’s up-and-coming innovation sector.

Faculty Supervisor:

Erica Di Ruggiero

Student:

Partner:

Cansbridge Fellowship

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education; Other services (except public administration)

University:

University of Toronto

Program: