Building a Resilient Future for Canadian Agriculture 

As Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, how do you see Canada’s agriculture sector contributing to the country’s broader climate and sustainability goals?

Canadian farmers are the cornerstone of our national food security, and their economic and environmental resilience is essential to Canada’s food supply. 

Over the years, farmers across Canada have faced severe droughts, wildfires, flooding, and storms that have taken a heavy toll on their crops, livestock, and livelihoods. From Prince Edward Island to British Columbia, and everywhere in between, farmers and ranchers continue to confront significant challenges that threaten their operations and long-term resilience. 

Despite these challenges, farmers across the country are adopting innovative practices and clean technologies that reduce emissions, enhance soil and water stewardship, and strengthen biodiversity—playing a vital role in helping Canada meet its climate and sustainability goals while growing our economy. 

More than ever, governments and industry need to work together to help farmers strengthen their resilience and stability by investing in agricultural innovation, removing barriers to trade, and cutting red tape. 

What steps is the federal government taking to support farmers as they transition toward more sustainable and climate-resilient practices and technologies?

The Government of Canada is investing in innovations and technologies that are helping farmers reduce their environmental footprint—while keeping their businesses strong and growing. 

For instance, our On-Farm Climate Action Fund has already helped more than 8,000 Canadian farmers adopt sustainable practices covering almost three million hectares across Canada. 

Sustainable practices, such as nutrient management, cover crops, and rotational grazing, and technologies, including those rooted in precision agriculture, are helping farmers improve soil health, reduce emissions, and capture more carbon while increasing production and saving on input costs. 

We are also working very closely with provinces and territories through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation, sustainability, and resilience of the agriculture and agri-food sector. This includes programs such as the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program, which helps producers maintain and improve the resilience of agricultural landscapes by supporting the adoption of on-farm land-use and management practices that maximize benefits for the environment and society. 

How is your department supporting innovation that balances productivity, environmental responsibility, and economic growth? 

We need to recognize that sustainability and economic prosperity go hand-in-hand. 

If we want to build a strong, sustainable economy that strengthens food security, we need to start by supporting farmers. That means looking at sustainability through both an environmental and practice lens. Real progress on resilience happens when solutions work for producers on the ground. 

Effective environmental measures are those that advance environmental goals and reinforce the economic resilience of farm operations. For example, today, almost 75% of field crop area in the west is now under no-till—a farming system that leaves crop residue on the soil to reduce erosion and sequester carbon in the soil—while saving the farmer on input costs such as fuel and labour. 

By forging meaningful partnerships and investments, we will continue to empower innovators across the country to develop and scale the clean technologies that will keep our farms competitive and our environment healthy for generations to come. 

What gives you the most optimism about Canada’s ability to build a resilient and sustainable food system for the next generation?

I’m very optimistic about the future of the agriculture sector! Farming is generational, and producers work incredibly hard to build farms that are stronger and more sustainable for the next generation. 

Thanks to the great work of our farmers, over the past two decades, the GDP of the Canadian agriculture sector has doubled—while net agricultural emissions fell by nine per cent. 

Meanwhile, our agricultural soils have gone from being a carbon emitter to a carbon sink. 

Producers are always looking for new solutions to adapt to current challenges, using the latest technology and knowledge available to improve productivity, conserve the resources on which they depend, and make a good living to ensure a viable industry that feeds Canada and the world.