Still others, like cellular agriculture and precision fermentation, could transform the food systems of the future. Others, like vertical farms and plant science will be key solutions in the medium term. Some, like anaerobic digesters, carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) and precision technology are ready and starting to scale now. We’ve identified seven key innovations or “ag-techs” we believe can both meaningfully reduce emissions and present opportunities for Canada to lead. Indeed, given our advantages, this opportunity is ours to lose. By engaging diverse actors in the Canadian food system, we can develop technologies that are responsible, creative, and efficient. 1Īs a top exporter of key crops, with broad market access and a deep history of agricultural innovation, Canada is extremely well-positioned to not just lead the world in the adoption of these ag-techs but in the development of them. In previous research, we found that technological solutions could play a major role in cutting up to 40% of potential 2050 emissions from Canada’s agricultural sector. Critically, this transformation will also hinge on technology-and our success in both developing it through responsible innovation and putting it to work to help the economy, the environment and individual farm operators. Unlocking that power, and cutting existing emissions, will depend on many things: including supportive policy, a well-trained workforce, and financing. While agriculture produces 10% of our national GHGs annually, its core raw materials-soil, plants, and animals-also hold almost unequalled power to pull emissions out of the atmosphere, where they contribute to climate change. But they’re also playing a critical new role: reducing agricultural emissions and enabling soil to absorb greenhouse gas emissions. Like innovations that came before them, they’re accelerating productivity to help feed a growing global population. These are among the game-changing technologies enabling the Next Green Revolution in agriculture. Or a fresh slice of salmon sashimi that was grown in a bioreactor, not caught from the sea. ![]() Or a swarm of drones that use artificial intelligence to identify every plant in a field, sniping only the weeds with a precision spray. Imagine a bumper crop of wheat grown entirely without chemical fertilizers and using practices that regenerate the soil. ![]() Keith Halliday, Senior Director, BCG Centre for Canada’s FutureĮvan Fraser, Senior Director, Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph Key findings:Ĭanada can lead in a new world of agricultural technology John Stackhouse, Senior Vice President, RBC Economics and Thought Leadership Innovation will be key to the low carbon, sustainable food systems of the future. We also understand the imperative to advance a just transition through technology rather than pursuing technologies for their own sake. We also worked with the Creative Destruction Lab’s ag-tech program, based in Calgary, to gain insights into the experience of entrepreneurs.Ĭanada has a history of producing groundbreaking research and development, a lively ecosystem of startups, and a deep talent pool that includes tech-savvy farmers, world-class scientists and creative agri-entrepreneurs. Our team analyzed investment data, sector pathways, and the impact of public policy, both in Canada and other countries. This report, focussed on ag-tech, shows the opportunities that a range of technologies present to Canada―and also the need for our country to be strategic in our approach.
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