Explore Official Dialogue Feedback

Barriers and Critical Success Factors • The focus on the near-term harvesting season that food production requires can make it challenging to think about longer-term climate impacts. There is a need for continued engagement and involvement of food producers. • Ineffective communication of best management practices (BMPs) can create barriers to understanding and adoption. There is a need to improve access to information and expertise, and explore how best to share information, e.g., farmer-to-farmer, demonstrations, extension services. • Financial barriers that prevent governments from in... Read morevesting more to ensure that adequate supports and incentives are provided. There is a need for industry to engage governments to determine the extent to which extended support may be needed and where it is going to come from. • Reluctance of some supply chain stakeholders to work collaboratively, at both national and global levels, because sustainability measures may be considered proprietary and not fit to share openly. Establishing a dialogue with stakeholders that communicates the virtue of collaboration and that the environment is a common good may help break down some of these barriers. • Regulatory requirements can create disincentives to action and/or innovation. Examples were given of certain provincial regulations that prevent farmers from putting in a bio-digester or prevent hydro companies from buying electricity from farms. • The large number of UN Sustainable Development Goals may spread efforts too thin and risk achieving very little. There is a need to focus efforts those that have the most significant impacts on sustainability of the work becomes so fragmented there will be the danger of achieving very little. • Sustainable products are not part of our global or bilateral trade “brand”. If Canadian food production is not considered sustainable, it become a trade barrier with more environmentally discerning countries. Read less

Theme 4: Sustainable production, consumption and disposal Potential Commitments • A leadership role in global discussions on sustainability. • A process for benchmarking sustainability goals, targets, and metrics that are: science-based, achievable and measurable; include full-cost accounting across economic and environment factors; and integrate flexibility to account for the great variability across Canada’s diverse eco-systems. • A process for identifying agriculture- and food-driven climate solutions and link these solutions to proper incentives to ensure as rapid uptake as possibl... Read moree. • Dietary transitions to more nutritional, sustainable diets, and national targets to reduce the carbon footprint of Canadians’ healthy diet consumption (e.g., by 35%). • National target(s) to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in production and supply chains (e.g., by 50% by 2030). • National target(s) to reduce food loss and waste (e.g., by 20-30% in the next five years, by 50% by 2030). • National target(s) to achieve electrification of all on-farm vehicles by 2035. • Concrete goals to reduce nitrous oxide emissions across food systems. Potential Actions • Conduct a scan/inventory of existing benchmarking methods and indicators and identify priority metrics that align with the sustainability outcomes we are attempting to achieve. • Identify climate solutions and strategies that have co-benefits for both the environmental and economic benefits on-farm, and increase support for further research to evaluate solutions to ensure the benefits and costs of adoption are well understood and shared with stakeholders. • Develop incentives for adopting climate solutions, with governments ensuring that all stakeholders throughout the value chain are engaged, incentives target the correct level of stakeholder (e.g., small family food producers, large scale farms), and adequate incentives are offered for participation. • Increase government-led efforts to help small farms engage in local markets, i.e., support small scale local farming. • Reduce food loss and waste through better measurement/tracking, identifying areas of action, developing public-private partnerships; participation of all supply chain actors; and research on behavioural considerations of consumer food waste. • Increase agriculture and food sector-led discussions on ways to discourage unsustainable/harmful practices, reward innovators, and shift the whole sector forward through continuous improvement. • Support shifts to sustainable diets through measurement, food reformulation and consumer education. Develop methods to ensure that sustainability metrics consider the nutrient density of food in determining sustainable consumption recommendations (e.g., consider nutritional equivalence when assessing recommendations to replace animal protein foods). Participants indicated that there should be policy coherence/alignment with Canada’s Food Guide recommendations. • Enhance government and industry collaboration to build public acceptance and trust scientific developments and technologies that can improve sustainability performance (e.g., genetically modified foods). • Increase government provision of, or funding for, research and extension services/training and not leave this to industry, due to potential conflicts-of-interest. Universities are a good source of extension services (research), and there is a need to better connect farmers, universities and governments on innovation development and adoption. • Encourage farmers to preserve and regenerate soils (e.g., by diversifying agricultural production). • Advance circular food economy approaches, particularly as it applies to food waste and agricultural waste (e.g., manure). • Establish a carbon sequestration credits-system for farmers. Read less

[Theme 3 continued...] Barriers and Critical Success Factors • Attracting food system actors to participate in efforts to better integrate food systems. There is a need to articulate a value proposition for different stakeholders – more explicit language on why this is important for communities, kids, businesses, etc. • Lack of food (system) literacy. There is a need to embed multiple aspects of food literacy (nutrition and health, food skills, eco-literacy, civics) within the education system, particularly as the connections across the food systems are learned inherently when taught at ... Read morea young age. School food programming could provide an opportunity to advance food literacy. • A negative perception of food production and/or viewing it as “someone else’s” issue (e.g., rural, farmers). There is a need to promote the narrative that food production is empowering and encourage people to participate in it. Better outreach and awareness efforts (e.g., funded by government) can help change mainstream discussions about food. • The dynamic nature of food systems that are constantly evolving could pose a challenge to integration. There is a need to continually innovate and adapt, and consider the implications of choices on all four dimensions of sustainability. • The availability of financial capital to ensure that the system will adjust to the new challenges (e.g., sustainability, packaging) in the food system. • Transparency will be needed to adopt transformational change, particularly in light of food system changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. • Competing self-interests of various actors can pose a challenge to cooperation and integration. • Ensuring more diverse voices are at the table so that solutions from their communities come forward, are listened to, understood and heard. Read less

Theme 3: Integrated approaches to food systems Potential Commitments • A mechanism to report on the food system as a whole, with metrics to track, define and set targets on important considerations across social, economic, health and environmental dimensions. These metrics should include, but are not limited to: food insecurity, food culture, Indigenous well-being, farmers’ incomes, food affordability, health, food literacy, diversity, traceability, and trade. • A more integrated approach to healthy and sustainable public procurement. This affects multiple dimensions of the food system, ... Read moreand can provide an opportunity to bring together all food system actors and communities to build collective commitment for social, health, environmental and economic objectives. • A more coordinated and food systems-based approach to addressing food loss and waste, that integrates environmental, social and economic perspectives. The integration of action across all orders of government was highlighted as a key factor, particularly the need for better integration of municipal and territorial perspectives. • Advance globally a more holistic approach that considers local, gender and Indigenous perspectives when addressing food system issues such as trade, food waste, food security and human rights. The UN Committee on Food Security and EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy were cited as examples. • A more integrated and structured decision-making process where the private sector, academics, and civil society have a role to provide perspectives to governments. • Better integrated health considerations in food systems decision-making, focusing on healthy local products, supporting organizations to promote healthy eating, and reducing chronic diseases • A resilient regulatory system that supports food safety, food security, and trade, particularly in the face of climate change and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Potential Actions • Promote a vision statement for Canada’s food systems that integrates social, health, environmental and economic benefits, and align government, industry and NGO action behind it. • Develop a comprehensive Food System Sustainability Index, that establishes a commonly agreed-upon set of indicators and benchmarks on sustainability, backed by evidence. • Advance an integrated approach that includes shared objectives and performance indicators for food-related policies and programs across federal departments and agencies as well provinces and territories that provides great coherence and predictability. • Improve or establish standards and tools to support integration, including data standards, guidelines, models, frameworks, and decision making tools. Important considerations include comparability, flexibility based on differing data availability and accessibility, and data sovereignty. • Strengthen Indigenous food systems and food sovereignty. This could include continued progress on reconciliation, creating space for Indigenous voices, and programs at Indigenous and community levels, e.g., community gardens, school food program, local processing/treating of foods. Participants supported the need to celebrate success stories of community action underway to demonstrate what is possible and build on these in future efforts. • Establish a more formal process to foster collaborative decision-making. As an example, a participant noted the need for a platform to bring all departments together that are responsible for any aspect of the food system. • Use the “One Health” approach to better integrate environmental, animal, and human health, break down silos, and get decision-makers on board. • Improve traceability and information flow through food systems in both directions – from producers to consumers, and from consumers to producers. This will lead to better decision-making throughout the system, not focused only on origin and endpoints. The use of IT/mobile technology to facilitate information flow was raised. Read less

Theme 2: Inclusive and resilient food systems Potential Commitments • A farm-to-table approach based on relationship building across food system stakeholders and consumers. • More diversity in diet, agriculture and business by empowering farmers, small- and medium-sized food companies and by supporting migrant workers. • Strengthened local food system infrastructure, including food storage, food security organizations, schools, Northern communities, and by promoting Canadian products. • Rights-based approaches, including implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indi... Read moregenous Peoples (UNDRIP), supporting rights of Indigenous Peoples to participate in hunting/fishing, and supporting food sovereignty. • A more agile and adaptable legislative and regulatory framework. Potential Actions • Increase collaboration through dialogue and policy advisory bodies. • Develop and share business risk management strategies to support producers in risk management and mitigation, including adapting to and overcoming environmental and economic shocks. • Support consumer education and engagement in food systems to promote positive health, social, environmental and economic outcomes. • Create a National Sustainability Index for food systems that incorporate health, social, environmental and economic considerations. • Support public research into seed development, establishing public plant breeding programs and seed banks that promote biodiversity. • Reduce food prices in the North by improving the Nutrition North food subsidy and addressing the root causes of food insecurity rooted in poverty, high cost of living and lack of power. • Enhance long-term funding commitments to better support Indigenous communities. • Improve access to land and ensure food production assets are in the hands of many people, including younger farmers and Indigenous farmers. • Increase dialogue on social determinants of health and food systems and incorporating food security indicators as a measure of social programming achievement. • Link poverty reduction initiatives with food security and providing additional effective income supports, like the Canada Child Benefit. • Reduce regulatory barriers to accessing traditional food. Barriers and Critical Success Factors • Geography – Food distribution is a challenge in a country with a large geography and dispersed population. This is particularly evident in the North where lack of adequate storage for fresh food is a barrier to access for many communities. • Policy incoherence – Participants discussed incoherence between policies that promote health and nutritious diets and those that support less nutritious food choices. • Lack of connection between communities and the policies that are intended to support them. • Overly complicated growing systems dependent on costly external inputs and maintenance and do not address local needs – e.g., establishing greenhouses in Northern communities that traditionally rely on hunting, and harvesting country food. Read less

Theme 1: Food insecurity – root causes, measurement and solutions Potential Commitments • National food insecurity reduction goal(s) and target(s). • A comprehensive, reliable, consistent and commonly-used food security measurement tool with robust indicators to track progress. • Increased access to food through economic and social programs. • A national healthy school food program. • Recognition of the “right to food security” through legislation. • Improved access to water. Potential Actions • Establish a federal observatory/dashboard to publically report on progress towa... Read morerd food security goals and align with the Poverty Reduction Strategy (Canada’s Official Poverty Dashboard) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. • Reassess food security indicators including the Market Basket Measure (MBM) and Low Income Cut-Off (LICO). In particular, participants noted that the metrics in the MBM focus on urban areas and poorly reflect smaller and rural regions’ food system realities. • Consider the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) – or elements of it – as a model framework of minimum standards for “right to food security” legislation. • Incorporate information on Indigenous food security in national indicators, respecting a rights-holder approach. The First Nations Food, Nutrition, and Environment Study was highlighted as a model for methodology and data strategies. • Support self-determined approaches to programs and policies for Indigenous communities. Some participants expressed support for more market-based initiatives in Indigenous communities, including independent food and grocery stores and increasing local food processing capacity. Support for regional food hubs and research on addressing food insecurity were also identified as potential actions to improve access to food. • Support collaboration between civil society and the private sector on mutual commitments toward common food security goals. • Increase funding for food councils or advisory bodies to increase support for civil society’s engagement on topics related to food security. • Improve income support initiatives. Participants noted that those launched during the pandemic have shown to reduce poverty and that stable employment can also reduce food insecurity. • Improve access to water for consumption, broaden water rights for irrigation, and impose stronger penalties for environmental mismanagement. Barriers and Critical Success Factors • Legal and regulatory barriers to land for Indigenous communities to improve their access to culturally appropriate food and traditional food practices. • All food system stakeholders have a role to play; collaboration and coordination among partners and across sectors and jurisdictions will be essential to setting realistic, commonly agreed-upon goals, improving measurement and achieving targets. • Participants identified the federal government as having lead responsibility for the measurement framework and data collection (e.g., through Statistics Canada), with provincial and territorial participation. • Federal and provincial/territorial governments need to work together to improve policy coherence where jurisdictions overlap. Municipal governments also influence important factors for food sovereignty, including the price of land, rental rates and access to space, especially in large cities. • Academia could play a key role in advancing collaborative research. • Physical access to processing facilities is a barrier to the availability of healthy, locally-sourced food. • Participants agreed that food banks are not a long-term solution to food insecurity and that many of these organizations advocate for eliminating the need for their services. Read less

Theme 1: Food insecurity – root causes, measurement and solutions • Participants identified that a more comprehensive national measurement and monitoring framework is needed to make progress towards reducing food insecurity. Particular gaps to address include lack of robust and consistent reporting on food insecurity among at-risk populations, and lack of specific goals, targets and indicators related to federal programs and initiatives whose objectives include addressing food insecurity. • Opportunities were identified to improve collaboration and policy coherence across orders of gover... Read morenment (i.e., federal, provincial and territorial, municipal), in particular on social programs, housing initiatives and measurement. • Participants agreed that Indigenous perspectives and rights need to be respected, and supported self-determined, holistic approaches to food insecurity that improves health, economic, and cultural well-being. Access to country food is essential for Indigenous communities, as is the capacity to practice traditional agricultural and food practices. Participants also identified the need for programs supporting Indigenous communities to be tailored to regional and local needs, respecting historical community contexts. Theme 2: Inclusive and resilient food systems • Participants identified collaboration, education, rights-based approaches and establishing a performance measurement strategy (including a national sustainability index) as key actions to achieve positive change across food systems. • Participants expressed broad support for “Everyone at the table”, including young farmers, immigrants and Indigenous communities. • Biodiversity, improving food literacy for resilient and healthy populations, and business risk management practices for producers to sustain external shocks were highlighted as mechanisms for improving sustainability. • There was broad support for developing legislation and regulations with a local or regional lens, to incorporate community contexts, promote food autonomy and food sovereignty, particularly for Indigenous communities. • Participants also expressed support for action to support local food systems, including investments in local food infrastructure to grow and process food. • Root causes of food insecurity raised by participants include poverty, food prices, food deserts, lack of diversity, and lack of power in decision-making regarding local food systems. Theme 3: Integrated approaches to food systems • Participants reflected on key considerations with respect to integrated food systems in the Canadian context, noting the diversity of Canada’s multiple food systems (Indigenous, market, non-market etc.) that operate at different levels – local, regional, national, international. • Participants affirmed the need for integrated, systems-based approaches to addressing the social, economic, health and environmental aspects of our food system. In recognizing the diversity of food systems across Canada, participants identified the need to advance a collective vision and create opportunities to hear all food system perspectives when making decisions. • The importance of integrating the perspectives of Indigenous, Black and other marginalized peoples, and supporting Indigenous food sovereignty, was highlighted. Community and Indigenous-level participation in the food system can increase local economic resilience and improve food security and accessibility. Participants noted big opportunities in enabling community-based programs like community gardens and local processing. • Participants also identified the need for evidence-based targets and benchmarks for the economic, social, environmental and health dimensions of sustainability. These measures could catalyze change across the food system, helping to align food actors, improve public trust, and provide a new lens for policy-making. Leadership in this area could bring competitive advantages for the “Canada brand”, support sustainable economic growth, and make environmental and social improvements. • Participants identified the potential for integration on key issues where the interests of many stakeholders align, such as reducing food loss and waste and increasing procurement of healthy and sustainable foods in public institutions. Early successes in these areas can bring other partners/stakeholders to the table and build broader coalitions for food system transformation. Theme 4: Sustainable production, consumption and disposal • Participants reflected on the multiple dimensions of sustainability – environmental, social, health and economic – and affirmed that it should be a key priority for the food system moving forward. Recognizing the broad range of natural and industrial eco-systems across Canada, it was noted that activities to enhance food system sustainability may look different from place to place. Even so, participants identified the need to develop an overall direction to guide all food system actors. • The discussion centred primarily around four key areas where commitments and actions could improve sustainability: benchmarking goals, targets, and metrics with full-cost accounting across all four dimensions of sustainability; incentivizing innovation and adoption of climate solutions by the agriculture and food sector; reducing food loss & waste; and encouraging the shift to sustainable consumption. Cross-cutting actions include continuous engagement of all food system actors, investments in research & innovation, consumer education & awareness, and policy coherence and coordination. Read less

The purpose of this Stage 3 Dialogue was for participants to reflect on outcomes from earlier dialogues and identify potential game-changing solutions for more sustainable and equitable food systems by 2030. Breakout group discussions focused on four overarching themes that were considered in the Stage 2 Member State Dialogues. At registration, participants identified one or two breakout group themes and vision statements they would be most interested in discussing: Theme 1: Food insecurity – root causes, measurement and solutions • Vision statement: By 2030, all people in Canada are able ... Read moreto access a sufficient amount of safe, nutritious, and culturally diverse food. Theme 2: Inclusive and resilient food systems • Vision statement: By 2030, domestic food systems will have capitalized on Canada’s diversity to be more resilient to economic and environmental shocks, and better positioned to seize opportunities. Theme 3: Integrated approaches to food systems • Vision statement: By 2030, interconnected social, health, environmental and economic components of food systems are integrated in decision-making across all food system actors, including all orders of government, the agriculture and food sector, stakeholders and partners. Theme 4: Sustainable production, consumption and disposal • Vision statement: By 2030, Canada’s food system is recognized as the most sustainable in the world. The following questions were provided to participants in advance, to help guide the discussion in each theme: 1. What commitments and/or targets need to be made and by whom to achieve this vision? 2. Which key actions/solutions identified in the Stage 2 Dialogues and other UN Food Systems Summit discussions would make the most meaningful progress towards achieving the commitments? 3. What barriers exist and how can they be overcome? Read less

N/A

Theme 3: Engaging with Canada’s Indigenous and remote communities to help address food security and production issues • Need to improve mechanisms and encourage directly engaging with Indigenous communities, improving information sharing and coordination of different players within government agencies and departments related to food and agriculture mandates. We have to recognize that colonial food systems that have been developed have impacted Indigenous communities and be respectful when we address these challenges. • Addressing food security challenges needs to reflect Indigenous food ... Read moresovereignty and self-determination. Traditional food systems are under threat due to climate changes, such as rising waters, and traditional knowledge on managing and harvesting these foods are being lost. Indigenous peoples face higher rates of food insecurity. • In addressing challenges with food security we must also discuss food sovereignty. Research has shown that food insecurity leads to a number of health problems. Communities have been promoting traditional food systems. • In terms of engaging on food security, there are opportunities to go beyond historical tendencies of focusing on commercial agriculture and food. Ensuring that smaller-scale and Aboriginal farmers have an opportunity to be included in dialogues with commercial operations and are able to access flexible programming support tailored to their needs. • When addressing food security, looking at Indigenous and remote communities should be viewed as an example of strength and resilience. These communities can also act as leaders and indicators of climate change, and their connections to the land can highlight the impacts of climate change and make them leaders in environmental sustainability and innovation. Their knowledge can be leveraged to support and understand indicators of environmental and climate change. • Understanding why communities are food insecure is vital, for example, biophysical conditions to grow crops in their environment and other variables that may be impacting the situation such as transportation and trade/export issues acting as a barrier. More information and data is needed to fully understand this issue. • Collaboration and removing stigmas is essential to addressing food insecurity. Communication is key and sharing resources and an open-source approach would help support this. There also needs to be a willingness to adopt new technologies, where new technologies can offer innovative methods to address food insecurity at a low cost. • Several gaps exist within government programming in terms of obtaining necessary infrastructure to address food insecurity among Indigenous communities. Making programs more flexible and easier to access would remove this barrier and would better address the problem. • Food security includes seafood and need to work with Department of Fisheries and Oceans in Canada to improve recognition of Indigenous fishing rights. Read less

Theme 2: Ensuring Canada continues to be a world leader in the development, testing and adoption of climate resilient and sustainable practices and technologies • Canada has experienced a loss of government technical assistance and extension services, leaving only the sales and input companies to fill the gap. Extension services need to include field days and demonstration, and opportunities for peer-to-peer learning. Farmers need to feel supported in managing climate, weather and associated environmental risks. • There is a need for a communication bridge to fill the gap between science/i... Read morennovation and the actual farmers conducting the work. Communications should be formatted to be more easily understood and accessible. • Support for climate adaptation research needs to be expanded, especially in the public domain, to be free of perceived bias and readily available to farmers. Existing knowledge from farmers should be leveraged. Consider restructuring research support programming related to climate resiliency and remove potential barriers related to research and innovation that has high public benefits, with unclear or no return on investment for private entities. • Need increased focus to adapt crops and plants to become more resilient to more extreme weather, and there is a need to improve water use and nitrogen use efficiency, including both equipment/technologies and biological innovation. • Recognition that farmers have always been innovating, and innovation should start at the grassroots level with farmers and food systems. Innovation should not only be focused on “high-tech” and larger companies, but should focus on what is actually feasible for farmers. There is a need to identify where agro-ecological practices are currently taking place and how these current practices can be better supported and improved. • There is a need to encourage and reward science and innovation for crops. Scientific research in this area should focus on environmentally friendly solutions and sustainability. There is a strong need to focus on science and innovation. • A shift in culture is required to look at the whole supply chain and not just the traditional focus on primary production – for example, need to expand statistics collected on food systems beyond what is currently done through the Census of Agriculture. • Governments can assist in the accounting of environmental standards and backing eco-labelling programs. On the producer side, there can be more support for “green” agriculture production and link these to support programs. Consumers could reward the supply chain through environmental leadership that will give incentives on the private sector side. • Incentive approaches to accelerate and support adoption need to consider and assess the societal impact of technologies – need to think about unintended consequences. • Need modeling to inform options related to food production and consumption and determine the way climate change is impacting our farming systems, food supply chains and the public. • The importance of verbal knowledge sharing among the Inuit and Indigenous communities was discussed. Investment in programs and infrastructure to allow for this kind of knowledge sharing is essential for the continuation of sustainable food harvesting and food security. • Ensuring the generational aspect of knowledge transfer is important in terms of land management and environmental sustainability. Learning from the past is essential and important, history must be captured in order to improve and provide insight to future innovations. • Increase collaboration and partnerships between ecological/environmental organizations and farmers to share expertise, funding, support communication networks and provide a space for knowledge sharing, collaboration and innovation. This should combine a variety of knowledge types (academic, working, generational, etc.). Read less

[Theme 1 continued...] • Invest more on educating students, next generation farmers, retailers, public, etc. on integrated food systems and food security at all levels to inform and prepare people (particularly our younger generation) to address adaptation and food security issues. • There was a suggestion to consider conducting a full agro-ecosystem analysis to better inform and understand what directions we want to go and how to best formulate climate solutions. Food system resilience needs to include fisheries and aquaculture issues and improved integration is required in Canada. • Pr... Read moreofitability (especially for small and medium sized farms) and farm succession planning need greater attention in light of attracting and educating the next generation of Canadian farmers. There is a potential to attract people from both urban and rural settings. Young farmers will play a key role moving forward and there is a need for additional programming to increase access to land and opportunities to support the environment. • Need greater investment for supporting circular food economy approaches, including education, traditional knowledge and communication. Read less

In discussion groups of up to 12 individuals representing diverse aspects of Canada’s food system, participants discussed their perspectives and brainstormed ways to increase the sustainability of production within Canada’s food system. Groups discussed three topics: Enhancing efforts to develop and implement adaptation strategies; continuing to be a world leader in the development, testing and adoption of climate resilient and sustainable practices and technologies; and engaging with Canada’s Indigenous and remote communities to help address food security and production issues. Theme 1:... Read more Enhancing efforts to develop and implement adaptation strategies Some groups spent time to outline what is working well today, while other groups focused immediately on the gaps, challenges and barriers, with potential solutions. Ideas generated for what is working well today included: • One of the key aspects of adaptation, adoption of beneficial (best) management practices, is/has been working well. Examples highlighted include nutrient management, developing environmental farm plans, adopting regenerative practices such as buffer strips, and high adoption rates of no-till seeding, especially across the prairie provinces. • Some participants noted that the existing Canadian food system is sustainable because it is highly fragmented (not specialized in one food/sector). However, this fragmentation also drives the need for improved communicative platforms where people are able to collaborate and share information. • In some provincial jurisdictions there has been success in developing regional adaptation plans for the agriculture sector (e.g. British Columbia’s Climate Adaptation Initiative which has a strong research network for climate adaptation). Other examples include Quebec’s on-farm funding approaches and Ontario’s focus in developing a Healthy Soil Strategy. The discussion on gaps, challenges and barriers included the following ideas and comments: • Need to invest in emergency preparedness and resilience building with a pan Canadian food system risk tool and/or food system preparedness plan. Requires addressing gaps in information and metrics. • Metrics could expand from those more traditionally used to include “out of the box” metrics such as the reliability of transportation, energy supply, etc. • Canada is a diverse nation with different sectors/commodities, production types, and variability between farms within a region. Therefore, there is a greater need to support adaptation with landscape, regional and place-based approaches and prioritize adaptation actions; this is complex and greater capacity and technical assistance is required for building an effective adaptation roadmap. • Farmers need to know the cost of adopting new practices. It is a major barrier not knowing how a change will impact your farm. The added cost of mitigation needs to be taken into account across the supply chain and down to the farm level. There is more pressure on producers to adopt new practices addressing climate change for both mitigation and adaptation. Greater efforts are needed on knowledge-transfer networks to facilitate farmer-farmer conversations, peer learning and extension support. • Need greater support to develop more diversification in our food production systems (e.g. regenerative agriculture on smaller scale farms, organic production, circular approaches, crop varieties that are more suited to future climates, etc.). • Need to develop and test solutions such as improved genetics for plants (e.g. drought/heat tolerance, pest and disease resistance), and approaches that build up and maintain healthy soils. • Need to educate consumers and supply chain stakeholders on implications of food choices, though it was noted that changing consumer habits/trends can take a long time. Public resistance to improved genetics and genetically modified foods presents a potential barrier to improving climate resilience. Some participants also noted that eating and growing a wider variety of foods and supporting more diverse diets could be beneficial in also supporting the environment and sustainability. Read less

There was broad consensus that many of Canada’s past and ongoing agri-environmental and sustainability actions have improved the climate resiliency of our agriculture and food systems. For example, the widespread adoption of Environmental Farm Plans, high adoption of no-till seeding, and development of agriculture adaptation planning, especially in British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario. At the broader food system level, there was also general consensus that Canada is sustainable and climate resilient due in part to our food and production systems being highly diverse (e.g. not specialized in... Read more one commodity, production type, or geographical region). Therefore, there are successes that can be built on and leveraged. However, gaps and challenges to enhancing adaptation and implementing actions were discussed, as were potential areas for improvement and solutions. Some noteworthy suggestions are further discussed below and included the need to develop transparent, clear objectives and goals through a national strategy focusing on climate adaptation and the sustainability of Canada’s food system, with more government leadership. Related to this is the need for dedicated and longer term approaches, programs and technical support for implementation and to accelerate action. There was agreement that accurate and measurable food system metrics are important, should be developed in a collaborative approach, in order to track progress and inform decision making/strategies. This also included the need to improve coordination and investment in data required to develop and refine metrics on climate resiliency, adaptation and sustainability of Canada’s food system. Other suggestions included increased efforts for education and communication ensuring technical transfer of knowledge from research to farmers, food supply chain stakeholders and consumers in formats that enable understanding of climate impacts and potential solutions. Similarly, participants suggested focusing on increasing capacity for local extension and knowledge transfer activities related to climate-resiliency, especially for small and medium producers, farmers, indigenous and remote communities. This includes increasing dedicated support for research and demonstration on climate resilient production practices and solutions (e.g. agro-ecological approaches, nature based climate solutions, new climate resilient crop varieties, etc.) and identifying their effectiveness, cost, benefits and operational impacts related to their adoption. It was further suggested to consider restructuring research support programming related to climate resiliency. For example, the current cost-share criteria between public-private funding to initiate research needs to be more flexible with increased government contributions for public good outcomes, such as adaptation solutions. Discussions also touched on needing to increase support for research, demonstration and programming related to diversifying production systems (e.g. agro-ecological, regenerative and organic production approaches), diversifying and developing varieties of crops better suited to new climate conditions (e.g. winter cereals and different wheat varieties, etc.), and supporting consumer awareness eco-labelling programs. In terms of engaging on food security, opportunities were noted to go beyond historical tendencies of focusing on commercial agriculture and food and ensuring that smaller-scale and aboriginal farmers have the opportunity to be included in dialogues with commercial operations and access flexible programming support tailored to their needs. Indigenous communities require technical support, but traditional knowledge can also help inform adaptation strategies for other producers. Addressing food security challenges needs to reflect Indigenous food sovereignty, respect the principle of self-determination, and recognize that a number of local and traditional food systems are under threat due to climate changes, while traditional knowledge is also being lost. Read less

Recent reports and studies, such as Natural Resource Canada’s ‘Canada in a Changing Climate’ report series indicates that Canada’s climate is changing. Temperatures are increasing, precipitation patterns are becoming more variable and the frequency and intensity of some extreme events have increased (e.g. floods, intense rainstorms, wildfires). These changes are anticipated to continue to intensify into the future and will exacerbate current issues facing Canada’s agriculture and food system. In Canada, the agriculture and food sector is recognized as being both one of the most clima... Read morete impacted and one of the most adaptable sectors in Canada. Climate impacts on Canada’s agriculture and food sector are complex and different regions are and will experience climate impacts differently across the country. Climate change can also result in benefits, as well as new threats and challenges to Canada’s agriculture and food system. Climate impacts can also reverberate down the entire food system and supply chains, as well as directly impacting communities and rural livelihoods, the foundations of our agriculture system. Adding to the complexity, our agricultural systems need to adapt to a suite of climate change impacts that interact with other factors, such as economic pressures, an increasing global population, changing human dietary preferences, increased input costs and energy prices, competing land-use pressures and policy-related economic pressures. Food security is a complex issue and there are many factors which affect whether a person is food insecure, such as the availability of food that is healthy, nutritious and culturally appropriate, and the financial and physical access to food. With the world’s population projected to increase by two billion people by 2050, Canada has an important role to play in supporting food security at home and abroad. Successfully adapting Canada’s agriculture and food system to climate change will make important contributions towards improving food security. The objective of the dialogue was to bring together diverse stakeholders and perspectives to explore and identify approaches to enhance the climate-resiliency of Canada’s agricultural and food sector, including priorities to address food security challenges. Specifically, participants provided feedback on what additional support and actions are required to: • Enhance the agriculture and food sector's efforts to develop and implement adaptation strategies to ensure Canada’s food system is resilient to climate impacts now and into the future. • Ensure Canada continues to be a world leader in the development, testing and adoption of practices and technologies to improve climate-resiliency and support long term sustainability of the agriculture and food sector. • Engage with Canada’s Indigenous and remote communities to help address food security and production issues, including identifying climate impacts on locally produced traditional food and medicines. Read less

Definitions of food environment-related elements • Questions were raised about what constitutes local – is it within the immediate vicinity, regional, provincial, or national? A few participants also questioned the value of the term “nutritious food,” noting the definition of nutritious has evolved over the years. Who influences who? • Some participants noted that while consumer preferences can influence food environments, those same food environments can also shape consumer preferences. Is the issue food environments or poverty? • A participant noted that accessibility to food can... Read morenot be separated from income inequality, and that the root cause of food accessibility issue is poverty. Ecommerce – an innovation that benefits some while leaving others behind • While ecommerce has improved accessibility for some, those in rural, remote and some Indigenous communities have limited access to broadband and/or computers, and are often far away from grocery retailers. In addition, these online services may exclude consumers who don’t have credit cards, which further restricts access to food. Policy and funding solutions: they may help large corporations, but can hurt smaller and independent ones • A number of participants noted many solutions would harm small businesses, such as independent grocery retailers in rural, remote and Indigenous communities, and asked how solutions could be more inclusive for small retailers. • There was some divergence over the purpose of agricultural policy – whether its focus should be on ensuring affordable food, or profitability of farms. Can these changes be incentivized if additional profit isn’t the end goal? • Some participants noted there is currently no incentive for industry to improve the situation for rural, remote or Indigenous communities as there’s no financial gain. Read less

3. By 2030, Canada’s food environments will be increasingly responsive to changing consumer preferences towards affordable, diverse, and nutritious foods. One participant noted that consumer preference has shifted from types of food to affordable food. Participants agreed the focus should be on how consumer preferences can be met while ensuring accessibility (as it relates to affordability) to even the most vulnerable segments of the population. Suggested solutions included farmers’ market certificates (similar to food stamps) allowing low-income citizens to access fresh produce, and linki... Read moreng suppliers directly to consumers via a food bank. Participants agreed subsidies and research investments influence food environments, and smaller scale producers often are overlooked for these types of funding, limiting their capacity to become a key contributor to Canada’s food environments. Participants noted while global supply chains are key to resiliency, shorter supply chains are also essential. Canada’s vegetable producers need better support to provide affordable, diverse and nutritious food but experience limited access to insurance programs, compared to larger field crops. The diversity of agricultural operations needs to be supported by government programs. Innovation is key to responding to consumer preference. By investing in alternative growing systems, such as rooftop gardens and vertical agriculture, innovation can improve affordability of nutritious foods. Online purchasing is restrictive to rural, remote and Indigenous communities, and small and medium industries don’t have the capacity to invest in it. Supports for online initiatives need to be scalable. Read less

2. By 2030, Canada’s food environments can significantly improve accessibility to food for all Canadians, including through the use and promotion of technology, innovation, and new approaches to procuring and distributing locally grown foods. Participants noted the prevalence of food deserts is due, in part, to transportation issues and location challenges. For example, those in rural, remote or Indigenous communities have limited access to food as they often rely on a single, small, independent grocery store. One participant noted that Indigenous communities in the Northwest Territories are... Read more traditionally hunters, and that some residential school survivors only know agriculture as being an activity that provided food to priests, and not for their own consumption. Having a more thorough understanding of different populations’ relationship with agriculture could help educate consumers to improve accessibility. This could be done through Knowledge Hubs – which Farm Credit Canada is establishing -- to encourage communities and businesses to start up their own businesses or participate in the food system. Collaboration among consumers, unions and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities with the federal government is needed to understand the challenges of different parts of the country and develop tangible solutions. A one-size fits all approach will not work. A participant noted the importance of the Surplus Food Rescue Program in Northwest Territories communities and expressed the need for a permanent support to improve food security in rural and remote areas. Participants noted existing mechanisms could be leveraged to improve accessibility: • e-commerce • local champions with appropriate skills and tools who encourage collaborative efforts to improve affordability of items • using a collaborative farmers market method which supports low income families by providing produce and recipes developed by a nutritionist • the establishment of local/niche food harvesting organizations to capitalize on niche products that grow naturally and empower Indigenous groups to use their traditional knowledge to improve food accessibility and economic self-sufficiency Read less

In discussion groups, participants discussed the following future statements: 1. By 2030, Canada’s food environments will continue to drive change to support a resilient, innovative and sustainable food system. [Please note we had two discussion groups that focused on this future statement, resulting in additional comments compared to the other future statements.] Participants noted that large, diverse, metropolitan areas are in need of culturally appropriate food and that some community groups do not utilize food charities (food banks). One participant noted that food is a human right, and ... Read morewould like to see the current food hub model evolve from a reliance on grant funding to a self-sustained model through capital investment, including support for the use of local farmers and food organizations to advance storage and food waste reduction. A participant noted the logistical and financial challenges in reaching remote communities. Trucking/air transportation is expensive and costs to operate a local greenhouse in winter are prohibitive. An emphasis was placed on finding ways to improve access to nutritious and affordable foods. Proposed solutions to these challenges included the promotion of a “circular economy,” with a focus on supporting local suppliers for small/medium communities and leveraging e-commerce tools to improve food networks/hubs. The success of these solutions is underpinned by consumers’ understanding of how the food systems work. The consolidation of Canada’s food system has threatened rural, remote and Indigenous communities, so supporting regional suppliers could help improve resiliency. Reexamining regulations and reducing red tape may improve resiliency and sustainability of Canada’s food system. Small and medium-sized enterprises can increase resiliency, however funding supports need to be made available to achieve those goals as they don’t have the capital to invest in technology to the same extent as large organizations. Participants expressed support for a pan-Canadian school food program. Read less

The Dialogue raised common themes as a result of the linkages among the three Future Statements. Main findings: • At the onset, most discussion groups struggled with the definition of “food environments” as being anywhere you can access and purchase food. Many participants were from an NGO or food bank where food is not purchased. Some participants noted that food banks are “retailer customers and wholesalers,” who leverage cash donations to achieve collective purchasing power. • Access to healthy, affordable, and sustainable food that meets the needs of diverse groups of people is... Read more achieved through a people-oriented and decentralized approach to the food system, supported by innovative and/or digital technology (i.e. e-commerce and other digital platforms) and simplified regulations. This goal would be supported by: - A better understanding of the barriers to accessing foods – from social, economic, cultural, and other perspectives. - Support for small and medium processors/enterprises, through the sharing of common resources such as innovative technologies, infrastructure and food supplies, could help to alleviate food loss and waste. - Support for local initiatives addressing the challenges of their communities. • Participants acknowledged that while a decentralized approach to food systems is extremely difficult to execute, it is useful in addressing the diverse needs and situations of citizens across the country. • Innovation and investment are affected by scale – large corporations fare better than smaller and medium-sized ones. Funding could target small and medium-sized enterprises which are likely better equipped to support local. • Local food production was frequently cited as a solution to food insecurity, along with the adoption of innovative technology such as e-commerce and vertical farming. • The cost of getting food to and growing foods in remote locations is forcing a rethink of how food supply chains work, especially in the North. - Local is desired, however not the only solution. • Participants also suggested considering the perspectives of others such as unions, municipalities, and consumers living in food deserts. As an example, municipal governments could play a greater role in enabling local food markets where people are living. • Acknowledgement by participants that Canada’s food system is vulnerable to shocks – including economic and environmental – and changes need to be made to ensure resiliency. Examples included investing in local (Canadian) food, assessing distribution models and collaborating with producers, city planners and other key players. • What qualifies as “nutritious” varies greatly. • Poverty reduction was cited as key to solving food accessibility issues. Read less