A thriving agri-food industry will provide many benefits, the organization said
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA)’s campaign for the federal election focuses on three main topics.
The Producing Prosperity in Canada campaign highlights the national ag industry’s economic growth, food security and environmental stewardship, the farm organization announced today. It also looks to raise awareness about how Canada’s ag industry can benefit everyone.
Regardless of which political party forms the next government, agriculture needs to be an important part of the party’s political mandate, said Mary Robinson, president of the CFA.
“Our goal is to convince government to treat agri-food policies as a national priority, regardless of whether they represent rural versus urban ridings,” she said in a statement. “Farmers feed the world, which makes the agriculture industry arguably recession proof. For economic, food security and environmental reasons, we firmly believe the Producing Prosperity in Canada campaign possesses the key ingredients for national support.”
Indeed, agriculture is a major contributor to the Canadian economy.
The agri-food sector contributed $112 billion in GDP on 2016, the CFA says. In addition, the industry is the second-largest employer in the country. One in eight people, or three million Canadians, work in the ag industry.
Canada is one of the most food-secure nations on the planet.
The country’s farmers produce high-quality products, which help fellow Canadians only spend about 10 per cent of disposable income on groceries, the CFA says. Canada ranks third in food security out of the 34 countries which are part of the Organization for Economic and Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Canadian farmers also practice good environmental stewardship.
Canadian growers produce food on only 6.5 per cent (649,025 square kilometres) of Canada’s 9.985-million-square-kilometre land mass.
The ag industry has also “reduced carbon emissions from on-farm activities over the past three decades,” the CFA said.
Farms.com has reached out to members of the Canadian ag community for comment on the CFA’s election campaign.