Grainswest - Fall 2024

Fall 2024 Grains West 32 BY MELANIE EPP • LEAD PHOTO COURTESY OF ALBERTA GRAINS FEATURE PLENTY TO GAIN T he annual growth rate of Canadian agricultural productivity stood at or near two per cent from 1991 to 2010, according to a Farm Credit Canada (FCC) report released in December 2023. Since 2011, productivity growth has slowed and stands at just one per cent where it is projected to remain for the rest of this decade. A Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) report published in 2022 also addressed the issue. Both reports offer solutions to rekindle agricultural productivity growth and, as the FCC report suggests, boost net annual cash income for farmers by as much as $30 billion in the coming decade. To make such gains, industry experts call for a multi-faceted approach that includes the adoption of new technology, improved efficiency and policy changes. This will significantly lift net cash income, they claim, as well as enhance food security and farm sustainability. Farm industry aims to reinvigorate stalled productivity growth