Why Is Canada Falling Behind In Agriculture And Food Production?

Jan 03, 2025

This fall at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock, Ont., visitors were treated to a tour de force of agriculture and food innovation. Self-driving tractors and drone crop sprayers increase productivity and reduce pesticide and fertilizer use, shrinking the environmental impact of farming while boosting profitability. Advanced genomics create healthier, more resilient crops and livestock. Data management systems bring the power of big data and artificial intelligence onto our farms and our ranches.

Yet despite all this innovation, we face an uncomfortable truth. Few of the technologies on display were developed in Canada and in many ways, agriculture in this country is lagging.

Consider the Netherlands. Its land mass would fit comfortably in Eastern Ontario, yet it vastly outcompetes Canada in its contribution to the global food system. In 2023, the value of its agricultural exports was about twice that of ours – this in a country that has been reducing its total agricultural emissions over the past 30 years. They have achieved this by investing in technological innovation and bringing government, the corporate sector and researchers together in a model they call the “triple helix.”

The Netherlands’ success stands in stark contrast to Canada’s lagging performance. If there’s any sector of the economy where we should be a global leader, it should be agriculture. We have the fertile land, the fresh water and a community of sophisticated producers. Canadian food products are amongst the safest and most sustainable in the world and we have a network of public agrifood research facilities and smart farms. Most regions in the world can only look with envy at what we have.

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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?