On February 13, NFU President Jenn Pfenning spoke at the House of Commons Agriculture Committee hearing in its study on the issues relating to the horticultural sector, insurance programs and federal assistance granted to the horticultural sector, which is more directly affected by climate hazards. The committee wishes to address the effectiveness of insurance programs and the one-time assistance granted, as well as possible solutions to be developed for greater climate resilience, such as climate adaptation measures and programs to better support the horticultural sector in dealing with climate change.
NFU President, Jenn Pfenning: I am a farmer, and mother of the next generation of farmers. Founded in 1981, our family farm has grown to approximately 700 acres of organic vegetables. The third generation on this land, my sons and nephews, have chosen to make their careers farming food in the family business. We grow carrots and a variety of other root crops, as well as leafy greens, and cooking veg. We are also a distributor providing market access for a network of other local farms.
Thank you for inviting us to participate in your study of this critically important issue. Canada’s Food Guide recommends that horticulture products comprise half our plate at every meal. We can’t overstate how important it is for Canada to have a thriving horticulture sector to provide this food!
I am a farmer – and I need to make a living. I need affordable seed, affordable land, suitable water for irrigation when necessary, a return that allows me to pay employees a fair wage and provide safe working conditions, and as predictable a climate as possible to accomplish all of this.
We know that long-lasting GHGs will keep warming the planet even if we stop emitting today. We must adapt. And we must drastically reduce our emissions. As members of the Agriculture Committee – your duty includes doing everything you can to reduce emissions from the oil and gas industry, and to stop the destruction of the wild areas and biodiversity that remove atmospheric CO2.
The existing suite of BRMs are designed for broadacre crops, so do not work well for horticulture, and even less in the context of climate disruption. The costs of applying can exceed any potential return if AgriStability is triggered. The high value per acre, diversity and perishability of our crops makes damage assessment so complex that it is extremely difficult to create formulas to assess weather and storm losses. Thus any compensation available is low, and may not be adequate to keep affected farms in production, particularly if claims are processed so slowly that the next revenue-generating crop is unduly delayed.
We must invest in the on-farm infrastructure needed to adapt to our changing climate.Some specific examples are:
- Water treatment infrastructure for sustainable irrigation
- Photovoltaics integrated into shade structures
- Greenhouse design and technology that integrates photovoltaics and heat storage
We also need public plant breeding of locally adapted horticultural crop varieties, made available to growers royalty-free.
Class 1 and 2 farmland located near urban centres must be protected for our food sovereignty. Canada needs policy solutions to ensure this land is protected and reserved for farmers growing food.
To ensure farmers can succeed under changing climate conditions, the NFU proposes that the AAFC establish a Canadian Farm Resilience Agency to provide farmers in horticulture and other sectors all across the country with trustworthy advice delivered by independent extension personnel who are not tied to agri-business corporations. With public agronomists to provide practical advice and researchers to develop new methods, farmers can increase their farms’ resilience to climate change and reliably produce the food Canadians need. Spending just a dollar or two per acre of Canadian farmland–could result in the necessary adaptation and resilience. Savings in crop losses and BRM payments would greatly exceed the cost of the extension services, so, these important services for farmers can be had at no net cost. By promoting the resilience needed for Canadian horticulture farmers, we can expand their market share and keep a much higher proportion of the Canadian food dollar within our economy.
We are here to address the climate impacts threatening the economic viability of our farms. We also face a rapid rise in costs of production accompanied by downward pressure on the price we can command. The farmer’s share of the consumer food dollar is small, so grocery store price increases disproportionately benefit the large retailers. Increasing ownership concentration in wholesale and food processing further depresses our returns. Falling returns are creating a structural deficit: the difference is being taken out of the land, farm workers’ labour and the farmers income.
Failure to address these issues means ever fewer Canadian horticulture farms, less of our food being grown in Canada, vulnerability to environmental, political and economic conditions in the countries our imported produce comes from.
Addressing these overarching issues is supported by Canada’s Food Policy vision, which is: “All people in Canada are able to access a sufficient amount of safe, nutritious, and culturally diverse food. Canada’s food system is resilient and innovative, sustains our environment and supports our economy.”
A viable, resilient horticulture sector is a critical component of Canada’s food system. If we do not support our horticulture farmers in adapting and mitigating climate change, our dependence on imports will erode our sovereignty as a nation.
