Farmers use the latest tools and technologies, including plant science innovations, to grow healthier, more abundant crops in a more sustainable way. Ensuring that farmers can be more productive while limiting their impact on the environment helps them meet the growing food demands both in Canada and around the world today and ensure that they’ll be able to continue to do so in the future.
There are many challenges to growing food – many of which are out of farmers’ control, such as weather and pests. Tools like pesticides and biotech crops, including GMOs, help protect crops from being destroyed by insects, weeds and diseases, and make them more resilient to changing climate conditions. This in turn helps ensure consumers have access to a reliable supply of high-quality and affordable food – an important part of bolstering food security.
Why food costs matter
Even before the COVID crisis hit, one in eight Canadian households were reported as food insecure. This means more than four million Canadians do not have adequate access to the food they need. Income is the top predictor of food insecurity and even a modest change to income can have significant impact on many families’ ability to purchase food.
Couple this with the economic hardships brought on by the pandemic and the picture becomes even more dire. In a 2020 survey of Canadians by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, Trends in Trust & The Path Forward, the cost of food emerged as the top concern across all areas with 51 per cent of people saying that had less money to spend on food due to COVID-19.
How do farmers and modern farming practices help keep food affordable?
There are about 30,000 species of weeds, 3,000 types of diseases and 10,000 species of plant-eating insects that farmers have to contend with. When pests go unchecked, they can destroy whole crops and can threaten our access to food. Pest control products and biotech crops help prevent crop losses and ensure a reliable and affordable supply of food.[1] Without plant science innovations, prices would be 45% higher on average for many food staples, an increase of $4,500 annually per Canadian household.[2]
Another concern that threatens access to affordable food is the changing climate conditions. An increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather such as droughts, violent storms, and floods could end up reducing crop yields by up to 50 per cent. Shorter and milder winters lead to increased insects, weeds and diseases threatening food production.[3]
It wasn’t so long ago that Canadians were faced with a spike in the cost of cauliflower owing partly to drought conditions in California, which grows a lot of cauliflower for the Ontario market. And a few years ago, a devastating hurricane damaged Florida’s orange crop causing the price of orange juice globally to jump. The infamous $7 cauliflower and the price increase of a glass of orange juice are prime examples of how challenges like weather can directly impact food prices for consumers.
The plant science industry is already tackling these problems by developing crops that are tolerant to heat, drought and salinity. Plant science technologies also help enable farmers to adopt farming practices that reduce the environmental impact of agriculture such as precision farming and the use of conservation tillage practices that protect soil health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
What specific plant science/modern farming innovations make a difference?
Canadians currently pay some of the lowest prices for food in the world and this is thanks in part to farmers’ use of plant science innovations to increase crop production and quality. Pesticides and biotech crops give us access to a variety of safe, affordable and nutritious foods while allowing farmers to grow more crops on less land– producing more while protecting natural habitats and biodiversity.
Scientists are using plant breeding innovations such as genetic engineering and gene editing to improve crops in various ways. One area they are working on is develop new varieties that will help increase shelf life and reduce food waste. For example, many people won’t buy or eat apples if they are bruised or browning, which means that almost 40 per cent of apples have traditionally gone to waste. Thanks to plant science innovations, scientists have developed a non-browning variety called the Arctic Apple that still holds the taste, texture and crunch of conventional apples. Health Canada has deemed this non-browning apple just as safe and nutritious as its traditional counterpart.
Pesticides also help prevent waste and loss both in the field and after harvest. Up to 40 per cent of crops are lost each year globally due to insects, weeds and diseases – this would be much higher without plant science technologies. Whether food is lost in the field or wasted in our homes, it not only stands to impact the cost of food but it also wastes the significant investment of time and labour required to grow the food along with the inputs and the associated carbon footprint.[4]
Is my food safe to eat as well as affordable?
We all want to live in safe environments and eat safe, healthy foods. In Canada, we have a strict regulatory system that ensures our food is safe and our environment is protected no matter what technologies or practices are used to grow crops.
Rest assured that more than 300 scientists at Health Canada review new pesticide applications and re-evaluate existing products. These specialists are internationally renowned experts in toxicology, entomology, weed biology, chemistry and the environment, among other things. They also work with other experts from all over the planet to evaluate data and determine the safety of a product. Health Canada’s top priority is protecting the health and safety of Canadians and it will not approve a product that poses an unacceptable risk to human health and the environment.[5]
Similarly, all biotech crops are regulated and monitored by Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to ensure they are safe for humans and the environment.
Our farmers work to provide food for not only Canada and their own families, but also the rest of the world. including the food for their own families. Safety, nutrition and affordability is just as important to them as it is for consumers.
Did you know?
Without plant science innovations prices would be 45% higher on average for many food staples, an increase of approximately $4,500 annually per Canadian household.[6]
[1] https://croplife.ca/plant-science-delivers-table/why-we-need-plant-science/
[2] The Value of Plant Science Innovations to Canadians in 2020, report by RIAS Inc.
[3] Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
[4] https://croplife.ca/facts-figures/food-waste-in-canada/
[5] https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/about-pesticides/pesticides-food-safety.html
[6] The Value of Plant Science Innovations to Canadians in 2020, report by RIAS Inc.