National Workforce Strategic Plan for Agriculture and Food and Beverage Manufacturing - Interim Report

Jun 06, 2023

The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) and its partners the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) and Food and Beverage Canada (FBC-ABC) are pleased to share the interim report on the development of an industry-led National Workforce Strategic Framework for Agriculture and Food & Beverage Manufacturing.

Started in 2021 with funding from the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Centre, the National Workforce Strategic Framework will set out a comprehensive plan for Canada’s agriculture and food and beverage manufacturing sectors to achieve workforce stability by 2030. The Strategic Framework will identify the root causes of industry’s labour shortages and skills gaps, identify concrete actions to address these shortfalls, and set meaningful goals and timelines to measure our progress and success.

The Strategic Framework seeks to complement the efforts of the Government of Canada, including the development of a National Agricultural Labour Strategy by the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food.

To date, over 100 stakeholders have actively participated in this critical initiative, including primary producers, food and beverage manufacturers, educational institutions, producer groups, industry associations, and government officials. Together, they are undertaking work around five key themes:

Perception and Awareness of Industry and Careers
People and Workplace Culture
Immigration and Foreign Workers
Skill Development
Automation and Technology

Source : Cahrc.ccrha

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.

The conversation explores how consumer trust influences technology adoption, why innovations like pitless cherries and seedless blackberries matter beyond convenience, and how future crop improvements could help address labor shortages, automation, harvest efficiency and other production challenges. Adams also shares his perspective on what the industry may be underestimating about the next wave of gene editing innovation.

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