The Pye Centre is a community of engaged farmers, community growers, and researchers working together to co-create knowledge and evidence-based resources that contribute to strengthening food security, food systems, and food sovereignty in Labrador and Northern boreal regions.

Our vision and goals

Our vision is to serve as a leading-edge, community-driven centre of research, education, and training excellence to support, promote, and enhance food security, production, and distribution in all parts of Labrador.

Working together, through research and education that prioritizes Indigenous and local knowledge systems, our goals are to support and enhance:

• Already-present local food networks
• Availability of fresh and desired foods
• Local food security and sovereignty
• Health and wellbeing

Community farm-based research at the Pye Centre

The Pye Centre receives many requests for plots, space, and resources to host research projects on or with the farm. These are considered community farm-based research projects.

We are committed to fostering an interdisciplinary group of researchers at the Pye Centre, and supporting a variety of research projects that meet community interests, needs, and priorities. The following information is for anyone interested in conducting research on or with the Pye Centre. This includes researchers from a range of backgrounds, including:

• academic-, community-, and government-based researchers
• farmers
• community members and community-based organizations
• research associates
• visiting researchers
• postdoctoral fellows, graduate, and undergraduate students
• elementary and secondary students

All research projects conducted on or with the Pye Centre must contribute to one or more of our goals listed above, and be aligned with our Principles and Practices for Community Farm-Based Research.

Before applying

Before submitting your application to conduct community farm-based research at the Pye Centre, you must review the following:

1. Principles and Practices of Community Farm-Based Research at the Pye Centre
2. Available Services and Resources to Support Community Farm-Based Research
3. Summary of Fees
4. Memorial University’s Policy and Procedures for Research Impacting Indigenous Groups (RIIG)
5. Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research

Important notes

• All successful research projects must adhere to the principles and procedures outlined in the RIIG policy.
• To be considered in the Pye Centre’s review process, all applicants must demonstrate agreement in principle from the appropriate Indigenous Groups when submitting their applications.
• Successful applicants affiliated with Memorial University must obtain full ethics approval from the Interdisciplinary Committee on Ethics in Human Research (ICEHR) before beginning their projects.

Submission deadlines

Proposals must be submitted before 11:59pm (Atlantic) on January 31st to be considered for approval. If January 31st falls on a weekend, the proposal must be submitted the next business day, by 11:59pm (Atlantic).

Submitted proposals are reviewed by the Pye Centre’s management team and the Community Farm Advisory Board. Approvals will be sent out by the end of February.

Important notes

• Proposals will also be accepted at other points throughout the year, due to extenuating circumstances.
• Please save a copy of your proposal and all associated application documents for your own records.
• Please refer to the Principles and Practices of Community Farm-Based Research at the Pye Centre for more information on the criteria that will be used to assess your proposal.

New applications

If you are submitting an application for a new community farm-based research project at the Pye Centre, please download and submit a Community Farm-Based Research Proposal Form to us at pyecentre@mun.ca.

Amendments

If you would like to make an amendment to an existing, approved community farm-based research project at the Pye Centre, please download and submit an Amendment Request Form to us at pyecentre@mun.ca.