Our Work

Agrifood

How we produce and manage our food supply matters. Canada is the fifth largest agricultural exporter in the world, and demand for our country’s food products is expected to increase as the global population rises towards 10 billion.

Preparing for this demand Canada’s agri-food system is being affected by multiple pressures: rapid technological change (digitalization, biotechnology); shifting consumer concerns (decline in consumption of meat and dairy); early impacts of a changing climate and potentially climate policy; and novel business or farming models (precision agriculture, vertical farming, organic agriculture, regenerative agriculture, etc.). As well as being a critical component of the Canadian economy the agri-food system is responsible for at least 10 per cent of the country’s GHG emissions and adds significant pressure on biodiversity from various approaches to land use, water abstractions, and pollution from chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Innovation will play an important role in the long-term competitiveness of the agri-food system and the continuation of stable, sustainable food production in Canada. The Transition Accelerator is currently conducting research to understand the system better and identifying optimal intervention points for systemic change.