Agriculture both Canada’s past and future

Every fall, EMILI — a Manitoba-based nonprofit for which I’m managing director — hosts our Agriculture Enlightened conference. This year’s event on Oct. 23 drew business leaders, producers, civil servants, technologists and investors from across North America. Some came from as far as Ghana and Mongolia.

Such interest in part stems from the echoes of Canada’s historical reputation as an agricultural powerhouse. Canada ranks ninth in the world for agri-food exports, with buyers in virtually every nation on Earth. Our public research institutions are recognized as global leaders in agrifood science. Our agtech ecosystem is inventing cutting-edge tools with enormous potential. And our producers are beacons of upholding high environmental and food quality standards.

But a converging set of global challenges are forcing all nations to reassess how they feed their citizens. It’s here that our nation — and Manitoba itself — have key insights and capacities to share with the rest of the world.

Amid a fragmenting geopolitical environment and sudden rupture in relations with our southern neighbour, the headlines these days declare Canada is a nation adrift. But that wasn’t the story told at Agriculture Enlightened this year. Rather, participants heard all about how Canada still has a vital role to play in making the world a safer, more prosperous and more sustainable place — and agriculture is at the heart of it.

When it comes to authorizing the use of in-field spray drones and other emerging tools, it’s clear that regulations must catch up to where new industry capabilities are at. Although, given the pace of technological development, it’s unrealistic to expect this to happen in linear fashion.

Instead, Erika Carrasco, a partner with MLT Aikins, told the Agriculture Enlightened audience that governments must embrace a more dynamic and flexible approach when working with strategically vital sectors. For a successful real-life example, Carrasco pointed to what Ottawa and Newfoundland and Labrador have done to resolve bespoke issues around commercial space activity, enabling the construction of the Atlantic Spaceport Complex, owned and operated by private sector company NordSpace.

Canada must also do a better job at value-added processing. In essence, shifting from the production and export of raw commodities to producing complex ingredients and finished products.

Keynote speaker Mirjana Prica, head of Food Innovation Australia, an industry-backed nonprofit that catalyzes business growth across the agrifood value chain in that country, predicted this is best driven by small and medium enterprises. Compared to multinational corporations, such enterprises are more agile at reacting to complex global changes currently unfolding that will profoundly impact future food demand by 2050.

These include the paradox of a growing global population — projected to reach 9.7 billion by mid-century — alongside aging societies. As are rising health and environmental concerns, larger middle classes in the developing world and consumers aligning their purchasing power with their ethical values.

Finally, all of this is happening at a time when the global economy is under strain and trade relations are being tested. For one, the assumption that China’s authoritarian tendencies would be moderated by its inclusion into the international trading order two decades ago has proven false. Beijing is now undeniably leveraging its economic clout to achieve its foreign policy goals.

“You can always run away from China,” said Gary Mar, president and CEO of the Canada West Foundation in a chat onstage with Bram Strain, head of the Business Council of Manitoba, “but you are also always going to run into China.”

The answer — one recognized by the Carney government — is to diversify trade, especially in agriculture, making Canada less vulnerable to the whims of both China and America. But this requires governments working with businesses and market analysts to identify opportunities, then reassess policies and build infrastructure to make it happen. “If you can’t move things, you can’t sell them,” added Gary Mar.

All of this inherently requires the willingness to make bold decisions and a higher risk tolerance within the public and private sector alike. Initiating this paradigm shift in thinking can often be the most difficult aspect of innovation — far more so than overcoming hardware or software challenges.

If Canada is to capitalize on its agricultural assets in the interests of our country in the 21st century, there’s really no other choice. And given our province’s history of agricultural excellence, history of innovation and the promise of new technologies, I see every reason why the next generation of Canada’s most important industry should start here.

Jacqueline Keena is managing director at EMILI, and a professional agrologist with degrees in agribusiness and public policy.