Agribusiness mega-mergers won’t help to feed the world
Regulators around the world, including Canada’s Competition Bureau, are currently reviewing a trio of agribusiness mega-mergers that were announced over the last 13 months. Decisions on all three are expected by the end of 2017. The planned mergers—the marriage of Dow and Dupont, ChemChina’s purchase of Syngenta, and Bayer’s acquisition of Monsanto—are collectively valued at […]
Canada can pick up where UN climate talks left off, help small-scale farmers
The Paris Agreement set the stage in 2015: agriculture and food matter to climate change. The Committee for World Food Security sent the same message to the world during its October meetings, that the climate is changing, so should our food. Agriculture was one of the important issues to be discussed at the UN climate […]
It’s time that food security be on the table
Food insecurity affects more than 4 million Canadians and involves issues of poverty, health care, agriculture, climate change, education, and more. In early December, the Senate Liberals hosted a public Open Caucus meeting to discuss what steps can be taken to address the issue of food security in Canada. There was a consensus that the […]
Making good on food promises
In 2012, the then-United Nations special rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter, visited Canada at the government’s request. It was the first such mission to an industrialized country. Government ministers at the time were vocal in their disapproval that a UN office focused on food security should consider a rich country like Canada worth a visit. […]
Political leadership needed to preserve precious prairie grasslands
Temperate grasslands are among the most endangered ecosystems in Canada and globally. For 80 years, the federal Community Pasture Program successfully restored and managed more than 800,000 hectares of native grasslands in Saskatchewan. These community pastures include some of the most significant remaining tracts of native grassland in Canada with high concentrations of species at […]
Canada should boost aid for agriculture
Carla Duran credits her successful career as a farmer, and her family’s food security, to a Bolivian co-operative supported by the Canadian government. As a child, Carla’s parents grew maize and potatoes on their small farm in Bolivia. They could barely make ends meet. Carla’s situation changed when her parents joined UNEC, Unidad de Negocios […]
Harvesting prosperity from seven years of negotiation
Threats to rip up NAFTA and trash the TPP send a chill down the spines of Canadians whose livelihoods depend on trade. And while the Trump administration’s action plan is not yet clear, it is crystal clear that Canada’s past and future depend on trade. Prime Minister Trudeau can warm things up by promoting the […]
‘We’re the fifth largest exporter of food in the world, and the global demand is growing,’ Ag Minister MacAulay eyes opening Chinese market
PARLIAMENT HILL—Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay is eyeing the opening Chinese market as a “vitally important” market for Canadian farmers to tap into and says he wants to make sure the industry has the ability to invest in innovations that will see the country’s sector poised to meet China’s rapidly expanding growing demand. “The […]
Canada sits on food sector goldmine, but needs to eliminate barriers to success, say experts
Exporting too much raw food product, rather than packaging it first in Canada; an inefficient transportation sector; and a jump in food imports are all hindrances to growing Canada’s food and agriculture sector, according to industry representatives. First, if the country focused on turning its raw food commodities into processed food that are then shipped, […]
Value-added agriculture: much more than wheat and potatoes
In 2015, global investment in food and agriculture technology start-ups reached US$4.6-billion, nearly doubling the 2014 levels. Why are fund managers so interested in this market? A look at recent trends provides some clues. Demographics are leading the change in how we approach food and diet. Many countries in the developed world are facing aging […]
