Feeding the Future with Canadian Technology
Launching Canada’s ag-tech moonshot
Our goal is to consult with Canadians and develop a pan-Canadian strategy that will show how we can innovate and use agri-food technology wisely to drive the green economy, create jobs, ensure Canada’s global leadership, and deliver a carbon neutral food system. At this stage in the project, we have produced an interim “what we heard” report based on interviews and focus groups with dozens of people during the first half of 2023.
View the reportOur food systems are at risk without intervention and support
Climate change, COVID, and conflict have upended food systems. But technology, properly applied, provides some answers. With more advanced on-farm equipment, regenerative management practices, and smarter fertilizers food systems will shift from being a source of carbon emission to a greenhouse gas sink. With vertical farming, we can invest in the systems that will allow local communities the ability to access fresh and healthy food year-round, anywhere on earth. With biological innovation, we can produce novel food ingredients out of crop residues that would otherwise go to waste. And if we invest in these tools, then agri-food can be an engine of economic growth and a key plank in Canada’s green economic transition.
Get the latest updates in this “what we heard” report
Ag-Tech Dialogues: Interim Report
We’ve produced an interim report based on interviews and focus groups with dozens of agri-food stakeholders during the first half of 2023. It reveals what we heard and key takeaways on how novel innovations can offer Canada the tools to produce more food on less land with fewer inputs. Our dialogues explore the current limits of technology, and our aim is to build a road map for Canada that will position our country, and our agri-food sector, as the world leader for sustainability, profitability, and technological sophistication.
Building a pan-Canadian Ag-Tech Strategy
Canada needs a national strategy on how to invest, deploy, and develop agri-food innovation so that we lead the globe in creating the world’s first carbon neutral food system. Additionally, we realize that technology and innovation must be backed up with good policies – policies that ensure farmers are rewarded for being stewards of the environment, policies that maintain the highest food quality, safety and nutritional standards, and policies to ensure that Canadian farms are not only the most sustainable but also globally recognized for being the most sustainable in the world.
Our goal is to consult with Canadians and develop a pan-Canadian strategy that will show how we can innovate and use agri-food technology wisely and in doing so drive the green economy, create jobs, ensure Canada’s global leadership, and deliver a carbon neutral food system.
How you can participate
We are building this strategy collaboratively, by listening to Canadians across the agri-food value chain. We have developed and released an interim report to further our consultations. We invite interested stakeholders to review this report and complete an online survey. Your feedback will be used as we refine our findings, based on the input that we receive. There is also the option to express your interest in further engagement with the research team.
As the strategy is developed and released (Spring 2024), there will be opportunities to participate in virtual and in-person engagement events.
Collaborating with partners
Meet the Co-Chairs
This process will be chaired by three food system experts.
Meet the Advisory Committee
Project timing
- Fall 2022 – Project launch
- Winter to fall 2023 – Stakeholder engagement (one-on-one interviews, virtual town halls, surveys, events)
- Fall 2023 – Interim report and continued conversations with stakeholders
- Winter 2024 – Final report
