Minister MacAulay announces new investment to advance Canada's horticulture sector and improve environmental sustainability

Oct 11, 2023

Abbotsford, British Columbia – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Canada's horticulture sector produces high-quality fruits and vegetables while keeping our food supply steady and strong. Yesterday, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, travelled to Abbotsford, British Columbia to meet with the BC Federation of Agriculture and visit local food producers.

While in Abbotsford, the Minister highlighted a $9.8 million partnership with the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) through the AgriScience Program – Clusters Component, a program under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, that will assist Canada's horticulture industry by enhancing research that protects the environment, builds greater resilience, and helps ensure Canadians have access to high-quality products.

The investment will fund research that builds off of previous cluster investments, under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, supporting the development of new varieties, disease management, labour cost-savings, climate resilience, and greener pesticides and energy, with a focus on apples, berries, field vegetables, greenhouse vegetables, and potatoes. The goal of this research is to reduce the reliance on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, advance innovative technologies, and create new disease control technology.

The Cluster consists of research activities that focus on the AgriScience Program priority areas: Climate change and environment, economic growth and development, and sector resilience and societal changes.

By investing in research and sustainability, the Government of Canada is helping organizations meet the increasing demand for our world-class, grown-in-Canada products.

Source : Canada.ca

Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?