Brenda O’Farrell
The Advocate

“Canada’s moonshot.” That is how the authors of a new report looking at the future of Canadian agriculture have described the opportunity the country has to become a global leader in food production – a sector that is gaining in importance as the world’s population continues to grow at an increasing rate.

But governments in Canada have to invest more in Canadian farms, farming practices and farmers themselves, they claim.

“Canada is uniquely placed to lead: Our assets are unparalleled, but we need to do more to maximize them,” states the report entitled A New Ag Deal: A 9-Point Plan For Climate-Smart Agriculture released Oct. 3 by Royal Bank of Canada, the BCG Centre for Canada’s Future and the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph.

“As a politically stable country, and a reliable supplier of safe, high-quality food, Canada has an opportunity to become the world’s sustainable breadbasket,” the 19-page report concludes as it lays out nine initiatives as a road map to this destination.

The ‘moonshot,’ if achieved, would see Canada produce 26 per cent more food by 2050 with few emissions. The increase in production is the an amount estimated to be enough to maintain the country’s contribution to feed the global population as it grows – while reducing

But the report also raises the alarm that if Canada fails to invest, the opportunity to be a global leader in food production will be taken by other countries, leaving Canada’s agricultural sector at a disadvantage as world demand for food grows.

See MOONSHOT, Page 4

MOONSHOT: Canadian governments have
to match other countries’ investments

From Page 1

“Canada is already falling behind,” the report states. “The agriculture sectors in the U.S., EU, Australia and China get roughly three times the climate funding that Canada provides to its industry. Yet, the expectations placed on our farmers are growing: to produce more (in increasingly adverse weather conditions), to cut emissions and to help boost global food security.”

The report continues: “The world’s top food producers are on the move. Making sustainable agriculture a strategic priority, Canada’s peers are laying the foundations for formidable climate-smart food supply chains backed by sizeable funding and bold policy measures.

“The sector risks falling behind if Canadian governments don’t match their competitors in supporting producers with the funding and policy tools to grow more food with fewer emissions.”

The authors urge governments to act – and quickly.

“Ottawa and the provinces will need to transform their approach to agriculture policy to protect a sector that accounts for 7 per cent of national GDP — with huge potential for further growth.”

Currently, Canada lags behind other countries in funding for the agricultural sector. For example, the report points out, the U.S. provides US$19.5 billion in incentives and tax credits to support ag-tech and other measures to the farming sector through its recently adopted Inflation Reduction Act. And the pending US $1.5 trillion Farm Bill could catapult the United States’ advantage in the economic sphere.

At the same time, China is investing US$7 billion to revitalize its farmland, while the European Union has earmarked US$224 billion for what it has identified as “climate-relevant initiatives” that will be rolled out between now and 2027.

The report highlights Canada’s strengths in the sector, too.

“Canada is already a vital contributor to global food security and has a head start in climate-smart farming. Canada is already a top food exporter, with a food system ranking among the highest in sustainability, according to the Food Sustainability Index.”

It also points to how more than 65 per cent of Canadian farmers have adopted at least one practice to improve their farms’ resiliency to soil, water and biodiversity challenges.

“Now is the time for Canadian governments to build on our farmers’ successes,” the report concludes. “Canadian governments have an opportunity to step up their commitments and create a robust policy environment that recognizes the sector’s economic potential, its global role as a reliable food exporter and as a climate-smart leader. This is Canada’s moment.”