Canadian weather has always been unpredictable but climate change brings new meaning to the word, with the agriculture industry posed to suffer as a result. Even in the face of such uncertainty, agriculture has the opportunity to not only adapt to the effects of climate change but also reduce its impacts through the regeneration of cultivated land.
Regenerative agriculture is a term used to describe agriculture that not only sustains ecological health but improves it over time. Though many farmers have aspired to achieve some version of this for decades, the term itself has gained new traction in recent years due to its potential to mitigate the effects of climate change. Despite that, no clear or specific definition exists which catalogues a complete list of practices and techniques.
On November 10th, 2021, federal and provincial agriculture ministers from across Canada met in Guelph, ON to discuss how Canadian agriculture will develop from 2023-2028 under the new Agricultural Policy Framework (APF).
Manitoba announced that it has created the first organic grain check-off program to be seen in the province, which came into effect on August 12, 2021.
There is a growing demand for Canadian organic food both internally and domestically. To meet this demand, COTA launched the Support Organic Change Fund in 2019 to encourage farmers to transition to organic that Ontario farmers are currently not taking advantage of.
