Feeding the Future with Canadian Technology
Unlocking Canada’s Ag-Tech Potential
Innovations in agriculture and food technology can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sequester carbon, manage labour force shortages, and increase productivity. Canada is well positioned to become a global leader in the development and mobilization of these technologies – a path that could unlock $30 billion in economic opportunity for our country, help to solve the 100,000 job vacancies anticipated by 2030, protect our food system from climate-related shocks, and help Canada meet our climate emissions targets.
“This report… provides a stark reminder of both the opportunity and the urgent need for Canada to realize its potential as an agri-food superpower.”
– Dominic Barton
Canada has many advantages when it comes to our agriculture and food system: a strong community of innovative farmers, a vibrant ecosystem of research and development, abundant land and water resources, a trusted global reputation, and an innovative workforce. However, we currently lag other countries in support for agricultural technologies, and in their development and commercialization. The sector can and will help Canada improve both our sustainability and productivity – but it will take concerted investment and collaboration between government, academia, industry and investors.
Final Report – September 2024
Feeding the Future with Canadian Technology
Throughout 2023-24, we spoke with people across the country – and looked at what other countries are doing – to develop a report with a series of recommendations on how Canada can become the world’s top supplier of agricultural technologies. Access the final report now to read about what we’ve learned, and discover key strategies for driving innovation, investment, and global leadership in Canada’s agricultural sector.
Continue scrolling this webpage to find our key recommendations by sector: Government, Academia, Producers, Investors, and Innovation Ecosystem Partners.
A Coordinated Governance Approach
Strategies and Recommendations to Support a Thriving Ag-Tech Ecosystem
Investment in agriculture and food technology will benefit Canada’s environment, economy and society – but we need to act now to take advantage of this opportunity. We propose four key strategies that Canada can use to realize the full benefits of agriculture and food technology and innovation. Click through the buttons below to read more about these strategies.
STRATEGY #1
Help agriculture and food technology companies grow
We need to train more entrepreneurs in patenting and intellectual property protection; create a new service organization to connect the aspiring innovators with industry, investors and markets; create policies and incentive programs to grow value-added production, processing and manufacturing; incentivize early technology adopters and mitigate their risks of adoption; and support ethical principles for data sharing and governance.
- Train entrepreneurs in necessary competencies to grow and scale businesses, including intellectual property strategy, financial management, pitch training, etc. through partnerships between academic institutions, governments and the innovation ecosystem.
- Create a national service organization that connects small and medium enterprises with investors, programs, funding and agricultural specialists to accelerate commercial growth.
- Develop national policies and incentive programs that facilitate investment and support for value-added production, processing and manufacturing.
- Support and de-risk early ag-tech testing and adoption by developing incentive programs and strengthening connections between industry and entrepreneurs early in product development.
- Prioritize FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) principles for agricultural data, software and hardware developed and operated in Canada.
STRATEGY #2
Train the next generation in agri-food
We need to bring together interdisciplinary teams beyond traditional agricultural disciplines to create agri-food solutions, create micro-credential programs to help train existing workers in new technologies, bring in additional workers with specialized skills, and we need to do more to recruit and attract new entrants – particularly young people and underrepresented groups in the sector.
- Create specialized interdisciplinary programs within academic institutions that bring together teams from across disciplines to tackle complex agri-food challenges.
- Develop micro-credential programs that draw on multi-disciplinary expertise that allow agri-food workers to re-skill and up-skill to address existing workforce skills gaps.
- Recruit youth and underrepresented groups into the agri-food sector by creating programs that raise awareness of career opportunities in the sector and recognize systemic barriers to entry.
STRATEGY #3
Reduce the risk of investing
We need to increase investment in agriculture technologies – this will require investors to understand the sector, the creation of instruments to drive patient capital and public-private partnerships, and better communication between entrepreneurs, investors and industry. A working group from across sectors could help to shape and steer federal agricultural innovation priorities.
- Establish a national agri-innovation working group comprised of government, academic, industry, and community representatives to shape and steer agri-innovation priorities and strategies.
- Increase VC investment in ag-tech through improved industry communication of opportunities and sector-specific challenges and federal development of instruments to drive patient capital and public-private partnerships.
- Explore regulatory pathways that uphold the safety of our rigorous regulatory system but support a quicker path to market for new innovations.
STRATEGY #4
We need to mobilize applied research
We need incentives for applied research, investment in agricultural extension and advisory services, and greater knowledge sharing and collaboration between industry and academia to help drive innovation.
- Create innovative applied research incentives through government assessment of research impact, challenge-based prizes and demonstration projects.
- Invest in agricultural and rural advisory services.
- Industry and academia need to improve knowledge sharing and collaboration to develop applied solutions that meet industry and producer needs and increase business funding into R&D activities.
Opportunities to learn and improve
International Case Studies
Click to read the following case studies to learn more about how other countries are fostering innovation and technology within agriculture.
What can you do to advance agriculture and food technology development?
We have organized our key recommendations by sector. Click through to view sector specific breakdowns of our recommendations.
Collaborating with partners
Meet Our Team
This report was completed due to the valuable contributions of our Co-Chairs, Research Team, and Advisory Committee. With special thanks to the Knowledge Mobilization and Communications Teams at Arrell Food Institute, interview subjects, and those who shared their knowledge and insights.
Co-Chairs
Advisory Committee
Project Management
Research Team
What We’re Reading
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Climate Action 2024
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Data as a Foundation for Sustainable Productivity
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The Next Frontier in Canada’s Agri-Food Sector: Technology Driven Labour and Skills Transitions
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Remote Controlled: The Impacts of Distruptive Technologies in the Ontario Agriculture Sector
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Crunching the Numbers: A Snapshot of Canada’s Agriculture Technology Landscape