Canada to Establish New Indo-Pacific Agricultural Office

Nov 18, 2022

The federal government has earmarked nearly $32 million for the establishment of a new agricultural office in the Indo-Pacific region, a move applauded by Canadian farm groups.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement of the new ag office Friday from Thailand, where he was attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting. The office will form part of Canada’s larger overall Indo-Pacific Strategy, which is expected to be fully released soon.

According to Ottawa, the ag office will help to increase and diversify Canadian agriculture and agri-food exports to the Indo-Pacific, strengthening trade on both sides of the Pacific.

“By engaging with stakeholders, regulators, and policy decision makers, it will deepen partnerships with Indo-Pacific partners to diversify export markets and products, create new opportunities, and position Canada as a long-term, reliable trading partner of choice for the Indo-Pacific,” the government said.

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Video: Democratizing Gene Editing - Pairwise’s Vision for the Future of Agriculture

Pairwise has built its business around an idea that runs counter to how many companies approach innovation: make transformative technology easier to access.

In this Seed World interview, CEO Tom Adams discusses why broader access to gene editing could speed crop improvement, expand innovation opportunities and help agriculture address emerging challenges. He explains why Pairwise believes no single company can solve all of agriculture's problems alone—and why making advanced breeding technologies available to more organizations could accelerate progress across the industry.

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Watch the full interview to hear why Pairwise believes agriculture is approaching an important inflection point for gene editing, and why the pace of innovation over the next decade could surprise the industry.

Topics Covered:

o Democratizing agricultural innovation

o Consumer trust and technology adoption

o The business case for sharing innovation

o Expanding innovation beyond major crops

o Next-generation breeding technologies