Cover crops are often viewed with skepticism by Prairie farmers due to the limitations of the short growing seasons and the unpredictable weather. Increasingly early adopter farmers are adapting cover crops to Prairie cropping systems and environmental conditions. However, there remains a lack of information on how farmers in the Prairies are using cover crops, […]

This research by 2020-2022 CAPI Doctoral Fellow Hannah Lieberman examines how increases in flooding, due to climate change, impact C, N and P dynamics and microbial activity in agricultural soil. A short-term laboratory experiment was carried out to examine how flood duration and intensity impacts these factors. It was found that both the stable, mineral bound and […]

Scaling natural climate solutions in agriculture is increasingly being explored as an important pathway to achieve national net-zero targets. This report by 2020-2022 CAPI Doctoral Fellow Lisa Ashton provides an overview of the actors and governance mechanisms that influence the implementation of natural climate solutions in Canadian agriculture. A deeper understanding of the present situation […]

On November 27th CAPI organized a small invitation-only virtual dialogue with the commissioned report The Feasibility of Small Local Meatpacking Plants in Canada. At this dialogue, a select group of industry stakeholders from federal and provincial governments, industry associations and the meatpacking industry had the opportunity to discuss their views on whether the current structure […]

In this paper, the four 2017-2019 doctoral fellows at the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) provide an interdisciplinary overview of wetland ecosystems in relation to agriculture, and demonstrate how these ecosystems can be an important asset for a more sustainable Canadian agriculture. The authors offer a set of recommendations for researchers, policy-makers, and farmers that […]

In this paper, one of the doctoral fellows 2017-2019 at the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) explores the current and future risks to soil health and soil security through a case study of Northern Ontario. The author, Paul Benalcazar, PhD Candidate, Lakehead University, explores the regional, national and international dimensions of policy options to encourage […]

In this paper, one of the 2017-2019 doctoral fellows at the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) explores the ways in which certain water management treatments affect the architecture of potato roots and tuber distributions and the consequences this has on potato harvests. This paper aims to benefit potato growers and serve as a guideline for […]

This presentation, by CAPI Board Member Professor Richard Gray and former CAPI Special Advisor Ted Bilyea, helped set the stage for the CAPI “Dialogue on Trade and Sustainability of the North American Agriculture and Agri-food Sector”. It began by discussing how economics tell us how we normally gain from trade.  However, this is only if […]

Climate change is one of the key issues facing the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector, with federal policies targeting a 30% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030. With growing world demand for agriculture and agri-food products, Canada has the opportunity to produce and export more. The challenge is however, how to do so sustainably, while […]

The key findings in this summary of CAPI’s Calgary and Guelph dialogues on “Optimizing Land Use for Sustainable Growth”, held in February and April 2019, were that agriculture can be a solution provider for climate change and for sustainability. In sum, CAPI was encouraged by the enthusiastic response from these dialogues and remains optimistic about […]