Towards Sustainable Food Systems for Canada
Bare grocery store shelves, labour shortages, supply chain disruptions: in March 2020, the first COVID-19 lockdown exposed long-standing vulnerabilities in Canada’s food system.
Unpredictable weather, rampant food price inflation, and global political instability generate further instability and insecurity. Entrenched systemic inequities continue to make healthy food less accessible to low-income, racialized, and Indigenous communities.
Canada urgently requires interdisciplinary collaboration and leadership to develop innovative technologies and practices to protect our food systems.
Key Issues Disrupting Global Food Systems
- Global Pandemic
- Labour Shortage
- Climate Change
- Geo-politics
Now is the time to invest in the tools and technologies to ensure our food systems are resilient and that Canada’s agri-food sector can continue to lead and grow despite 21st century disruptions.
Can new agri-food technologies and practices be used in economically, ethically, socially, and culturally sensitive ways to reduce vulnerabilities in Canada’s food system?
To answer this question, the University of Guelph is working with researchers, policymakers, community representatives, and industry leaders to explore four key scientific missions towards Sustainable Food Systems for Canada.
Key Issues for Sustainable Food Systems for Canada
Decarbonize food systems
Today, agriculture directly contributes ~30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and is vulnerable to changing climate. But innovative technologies (e.g., smart tractors) and management practices (e.g.,Indigenous stewardship) can take greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. However, such approaches may beexpensive. How can we support producers to decarbonize, and might this impact accessibility and affordability forconsumers?
Enhance cyber and biosecurity
As technologies shape what and how we produce, new threats emerge as digitaltools are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Similarly, as farming intensifies, biosecurity grows in importance. Addressingnovel threats warrants collaborations among computer scientists, security experts, agriculturalists, policymakers,veterinarians, and community members to keep food moving safely from farm to kitchen.
Protect supply chains through innovation
Canada depends on long-distance trade to import fresh food much of theyear. This causes waste and is vulnerable to political and climate disruptions. Innovative technologies andapproaches (e.g., vertical/cellular farming and aquaculture) can repurpose waste to produce food at scale withincommunities. But are there health implications of such novel methods? And how will consumers, the industry andregulators respond?
Reimagine labour
To adapt to chronic labour shortages, our food systems must invest in automation and train thenext generation on emerging technologies. However, adopting innovative technologies will change the nature ofagri-food work. How can we mitigate the effects of this transition on the agri-food sector, agricultural workers, andrural communities?