The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) held a Workshop on “Barton Forward: Optimizing Growth While Enhancing Natural Capital” on March 21, 2018 in Guelph, Ontario, partnering with the Arrell Food Institute. This was the second of three regional workshops that CAPI held in various regions in Canada, to initiate critical conversations with participation of producers, industry representatives, academics, governments, and other interested groups.  The focus of workshops was on the implications of the growth targets set for the agri-food sector on Canada’s natural capital and other domestic policy objectives, and on the role of innovation in securing growth that is compatible with sustainability objective and in building public trust.  The goal was to develop a better understanding of growth potential across various agri-food value chains and opportunities in achieving this potential, as well as a dialogue on obstacles on future growth.

The presentations and discussions at the workshop aimed the following:

• To understand global market growth projections and their implications potential trade obstacles and opportunities and ultimately on Canadian agri-food export prospects;
• To explore the industry strategies to achieve the strategic growth targets that were set by the Advisory Council on Economic Growth;
• To examine the implications of such growth on our natural capital;
• To investigate how innovation/technology could enable the sector to achieve the growth targets while maintaining our natural capital.

This event was the success it was because of the great speakers, discussants and actively engaged participants, including next gen’s, who contributed to this important CAPI conversation. CAPI thanks all of you who attended.

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*PDFs of speakers’ PowerPoint presentations and/or Papers can now be viewed & downloaded by clicking on the name of the speaker below*

 

WEDNESDAY MARCH 21, 2018

Welcome and opening remarks – Don Buckingham, President and CEO, CAPI and Evan Fraser, Director, AFI & Canada Research Chair

SETTING THE STAGE

Chair: Rene Van Acker, Dean of Ontario Agricultural College, University of Guelph

Barton Forward-Optimizing Growth – Risks and Opportunities (Ted Bilyea and Tulay Yildirim, CAPI)

Ontario’s agri-food growth prospects (Stephen Duff, Chief Economist OMAFRA)

Participants’ Discussion

SECTORAL PERSPECTIVES ON GROWTH, INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY – Chair: Phil Malcolmson, Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy, OMAFRA

Food processing Speaker: Lynda Kuhn, Vice President, Maple Leaf Foods

Dairy sector Speaker: Peter Gould, Advisor, Dairy Farmers of Ontario

Primary production Speaker: Organics Tia Loftsgard, Executive Director, Canada Organic Trade Association

Primary production – Horticulture Speaker: Jan VanderHout, Chairman, Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Growers’ Association

Primary production – Soybeans Speaker: Jim Millington, Director, Market Development, Soy Canada

Participants’ Discussion

Health break and networking with sectoral speakers

Disruptors: presentations on whole food system issues – Chair: Deb Stark, Director, Board of Directors, CAPI

The microbiome and one health Speaker: David Ma, Professor, University of Guelph

Food security Speaker: Diana Bronson, Executive Director, Food Secure Canada

Smart plant nutrients Speaker: Garth Whyte, President and CEO, Fertilizer Canada

Participants’ Discussion

Networking Lunch

Breakout groups – Chair: Don Buckingham, President and CEO, CAPI

Group discussions as per topics below:

Group #1: Green Light. Full speed ahead! So where will growth come from? Where will the markets be?

Group #2: Red Light. Obstacles to realizing the targets! Infrastructure? Natural Capital constraints? Trade restrictions? Plant-animal-human health? Overbearing regulations?

Group #3: Amber Light. Potential solutions! Do the innovations that are available or in the pipeline really hold the key to sustainable growth?

Groups report back

WAY FORWARD – Chair: Evan Fraser, Director, AFI & Canada Research Chair

Panel of experts discuss ‘the way forward’ in optimizing agri-food sector growth while enhancing natural capital.

Geneviève Parent, Professor, Université Laval

Peter Phillips, Professor, University of Saskatchewan

David Burton, Professor, Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Dalhousie University

Participants’ Discussion

Evaluation and closing remarks – Chairs: Don Buckingham, President and CEO, CAPI and Malcolm Campbell, Vice President of Research, University of Guelph

Reception opening remarks: Evan Fraser, Director, AFI & Canada Research Chair