New technologies can improve Canada’s resilience

OTTAWA, Ontario, Nov. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Advances in food production technology offer meaningful opportunities to improve the resilience of Canada’s food system, provide people with a greater variety of food sources and expand Canada’s position as a global leader in agriculture, according to The next coursea new expert report from the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA).

The National Research Council of Canada has asked the CCA to examine the areas of scientific and technological advances in non-standard food production that will contribute most to Canada’s national food security over the next two decades. The next course examines a range of promising food production methods – from controlled environment agriculture (CEA) plants to cellular farming processes such as cultured meat and precision fermentation – and the conditions that improve their chances of success.

Combined with conventional agricultural practices, these innovative methods can enable year-round local fruit and vegetable production across Canada and provide a greater variety of protein sources. This could diversify the country’s food system and strengthen its resilience to climate change, population growth, limited resources and geopolitical instability. Crucially, food production is only one part of the wider food system; On their own, increases in production will not ensure food security for Canada.

“As a world-class agricultural producer, Canada has enormous potential to lead the world in novel food production methods while future-proofing its own food system,” says Lenore Newman, Chair of the CCA Expert Panel on Atypical Food Production Technologies for Canada Food Security.

The benefits of atypical food production will depend on supporting technologies such as genomics, automation and artificial intelligence; adequate resources, including energy, water, broadband internet and labor; and successfully solving policy problems related to land use and food security. They should also complement traditional food production methods, not replace them.

“CCA is pleased to provide this clear assessment to help policymakers address the complexities of food production in Canada,” says Tijs Creutzberg, CCA President and CEO. “I am grateful to the members of the expert panel for their thorough consideration of the issues at hand and their thoughtful engagement throughout the evaluation process.

The next course is available for download at cca-reports.ca.

Contact:

Heather Ennis
Director of Communications, Council of Canadian Academies
613-851-7723
[email protected]

For more information about the CCA and its ratings, visit www.cca-reports.ca. To subscribe The advancethe CCA’s monthly newsletter, sign up for our mailing list.

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