Canada is an agricultural giant, regularly ranking within the top 10 agricultural powerhouses. It has the potential to become a world leader in futuristic agricultural practices. The old way of fertilising would be to throw pellets of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus onto the soil. Upwards of 50% of the fertilizer would drift of target, land in the wrong spot, and eventually either enter the water supply through runoff or the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. This old style is becoming a way of the past, and new methods are becoming focused on efficiency, production rates, and the environmental impact that agriculture has had. Agriculture is responsible for approximately 1/3 of greenhouse gases, globally is the largest user of freshwater, and water’s biggest polluter. The agri-food sector is also the leading contributor to the destruction of our planet’s biodiversity.
The future of agriculture in Canada may look very different to how it is now. Canada may produce less, but better quality, meat and it could replace the meat with fish farms, or unconventional sources taken from insects, algae, fungus, or vegetable sources like soy and legumes. By using these new sources Canada could become a trusted supplier in the global market for leading the charge in sustainable proteins; this opportunity could give Canada a global leadership role. Canada is already a leader in farm management tools such as soil and moisture sensors or data linking technologies, and robotics; some of which we’ve talked about in a previous article. The major challenge now in this New Agricultural Revolution is to create a nourishing, sustainable, and equitable future for our growing global population, and Canada, has the potential to take a leadership role by continuing to develop its technology
