Agriculture in Canada

Food is essential to our survival and provides us with the nutrients we need to grow, be active and stay healthy. It is also our medicine, bringing people together to celebrate, mourn, connect, and communicate. In a very real sense, food is a universal language.

We show love through food and learn about cultures, traditions and history while enjoying cuisines from other places in the world. Think of a local holiday or social event and some kind of food festival probably comes to mind -- and we get all that food from agriculture, of course.

Canadians are lucky to be one of the few countries globally that grow more food than it needs. The rest gets exported to buyers abroad that don't have the same abundance of natural resources we do. As the second largest country in the world, our country is blessed with vast fertile farmland in various regions from coast to coast. Our prairies are often considered as one of the most productive farming regions in the world.

Thanks to Canadian farmers, millions upon millions of families have access to nutritious food, of which is grown right here in Canada. Without our agricultural sector, the world would be a much hungrier place.

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Canada's Agricultural Sector...

Ensures food security and supply chain stability in Canada
Provides global food supply at reasonable prices for those in need
Is critical for the livelihoods of Canadian farmers, millions of related agri-food jobs, and our economy at large
Encourages the mainstreaming of adaptation planning in Canada and elsewhere
Global food demand is growing; as ours and the global population expands, demand for Canadian agricultural products will grow

Agriculture in Canada: Did You Know?

World food demand is set to grow 70% by 2050 (Michigan State University); Canada is one of the few privileged countries that exports more food than it consumes
Canadian agriculture sector takes food safety seriously; Canada ranks at the top in global food safety (Government of Canada - GoC)
Without modern farming practices, we would need 50% more land to grow the amount of food we do today (GoC)
Canadian farmers love and care for their animals, following nationally recognized codes of practice for the care and handling of their animals (National Farm Animal Care Council)

Canadian Agricultural Jobs & Economy

One-in-nine jobs in Canada are in the agriculture and agri-food sector, employing 2.3 million people on farms, in processing plants, office boardrooms, laboratories and beyond (Natural Resources Canada - NRC)
Canada’s agri-food and agricultural sector accounts for roughly 7%, or $150 billion of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP), or economy (NRC)
Canada is the world’s 8th largest exporter of agri-food, fish and seafood products, exporting to more than 200 countries abroad (NRC)
Canada’s agriculture and seafood product exports totalled nearly $99.1 billion in 2023 (NRC)
The food and beverage processing sector is the largest manufacturing industry in Canada in terms of both GDP and employment, accounting for 16.5% of manufacturing GDP and17.8% of manufacturing jobs (NRC)

Support Canadian Farmers!

Canada Action's agriculture advocacy - or “Agvocacy” - promotes public and government support for farmers in the following ways:

Recognizes the role and accomplishments of farmers with respect to the economy at large
Ensures continued competitiveness of Canadian agricultural products in a world market
Encourages investments that support improvements in Canadian agricultural production
Promotes balanced, fact-based, and non-partisan discussions about the agriculture sector, highlighting Canada’s integral role in underpinning global food security

Agriculture in Canada is an integral part of the Canadian community and economy, supporting millions of families across our nation. With growing global demand for food increasing each year, we must continue to support agriculture innovation and growth in Canada.

Canadian farmers feed not just our families, but the world!

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