Federal government looks at expanding crop diversity through research

The government of Canada has announced that it is expanding research towards crop diversity through a new grant to a research initiative.

They've announced up to $8,124,319 to Ag-West Bio Inc. through the AgriScience Program – Clusters Component, an initiative under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

Through that they hope to boost the number of small acreage crops, like camelina, carinata, flax, mustard, and sunflower, which contribute to the resiliency of Canadian crop production thanks to their ability to withstand drought, heat, and soil nutrient deficiency.

"There is no doubt that our farmers are among the first to feel the impacts of climate change," said Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, "That's exactly why we're supporting this important research to increase the yield and profitability of diverse field crops and make the sector more resilient."

​​​​​Crop research has the potential to generate long-term, sustainable economic growth for Canada's agricultural sector. The Cluster research activities aim to:

Benchmark the GHG emissions produced by diverse crops and understand how those emissions are impacted by nitrogen fertilizer use
Further develop new oilseed crops, such as camelina, that are more adapted to production on lower-quality land
Improve genetic resiliency, yields, and disease resistance in rotation crops such as mustard, flax, and sunflower