Fostering agriculture and agri-food innovation
Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector is a cornerstone of our economy—and our future. It contributes nearly $150 billion to GDP each year, supports more than 2 million jobs and helps feed people here at home and around the world. But farmers and agri-food businesses are facing real challenges from shifting markets and trade pressures to unpredictable weather. At the same time, they’re being asked to do more: produce more food, reduce emissions and adopt more sustainable and circular practices, all while staying competitive.
Canada needs practical, forward-looking policies that recognize the challenges the sector has faced and support its ongoing transition. That means lowering the risks of adopting new technologies and practices, and supporting climate-smart choices. With the right support, the sector can continue to lead globally in food production, exports and sustainability while improving farm profitability, cutting food waste and driving system-wide innovation.
At the Smart Prosperity Institute (SPI), our Sustainable Agriculture and Agri-food Systems research explores how to accelerate innovation on the farm and across the entire agri-food value chain. We want to understand how to scale up the progress farmers and agri-food businesses are already making to build more sustainable, resilient operations. By drawing on our strengths in policy and economic analysis, environmental and risk modelling, value-chain engagement and adoption strategies, we look at how policies, tools and pilot programs can support a sector that works for people and the planet while strengthening Canada’s competitive edge.
What we do
Our team has worked with a variety of stakeholders to address these issues via new research, policy development and ground-breaking pilots. Through these projects, we seek to equip policymakers, farmers, value chains and other actors with the right tools and data they need to make informed decisions and address the complex issues they face. Some of our previous and ongoing contributions include:
- developing risk management tools that de-risk adopting new practices and contribute to on-farm resilience through cutting-edge research, engagement with farmers and novel Canadian pilot projects,
- breaking down complex approaches to farm management, like regenerative agriculture, to better understand the investments, tools and support farmers’ need to adopt these approaches,
- evaluating accounting approaches that make the business case for investing in on-farm nature-based solutions and natural assets in farm landscapes; and,
- supporting the transition to a more regional, circular food system by identifying interventions and innovations that build resilience across the entire system.
What are we working on?
Building farm resilience
Our work champions and expands existing efforts to build farm resilience while catalyzing the adoption and sustained use of new farming practices, technologies and other innovations. We develop practical policies and programs by clarifying the economics of transitioning to new farming practices. We identify a set of financial, technical and social supports that enable on-farm change, while addressing common data, demographic, skill, market and infrastructure barriers that farmers face when trying to adopt more sustainable farming practices to increase their resilience.
Valuing nature in agricultural landscapes
Nature is a critical part of agricultural landscapes and it needs to be properly valued. We build strong, evidence-based business cases for protecting natural landscapes like grasslands and wetlands. These ecosystems provide essential services, from improving soil health and supporting biodiversity to reducing flood and drought risks. We work to ensure that policies and programs reflect these benefits in decision-making, helping build more resilient landscapes and safeguarding Canada’s natural wealth for the future.
Driving systems-level change
Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector is shaped by a complex mix of policies, investments, value-chain dynamics and global trade. We dig into these system-wide influences to identify ways to better align policies and programs. Our goal is to strengthen Canada’s competitive advantage, reduce food insecurity and ensure the sector delivers broad benefits for people and the planet.
Tackling food waste and building a circular food system
Canada loses and wastes a significant amount of food every year, even as we face pressure to produce more, cut emissions and reduce input use. Our research challenges the traditional take-make-waste model by exploring how to reduce food loss and waste while creating circular systems that make the most of our resources. This work is helping to identify practical opportunities for greater efficiency, sustainability and innovation across the sector.
How we work
At the core of our work, we focus on economic analyses and policy development, ensuring that viability and profitability remain a central component of our work. Our research methods are always tailored to the needs of each project. We use a combination of the following tools in our approach: cost-benefit analyses, risk assessments, economic, environmental and risk modelling, scientific literature reviews, policy and regulatory analyses, workshops, focus groups and surveys.
To respect the level of diversity across the agriculture and agri-food sector, we ensure that all of our research methods consider:
- context by evaluating operational scale, regional priorities or variables and the realities faced by specific production systems or value chains,
- Indigenous perspectives by conducting direct and meaningful engagement,
- people by grounding our research in consultation with farmers and rural communities, while engaging across the food system to address next-generation challenges, workforce needs and long-term sector resilience; and
- adoption phase by ensuring early adopters are not left out of the equation and tailoring supports to different phases of the technology or practice adoption process.
Active collaborations
Canadian Alliance for Net-zero Agri-food
Co-operators
Farmers for Climate Solutions
Nature Investment Hub
Régénération Canada
Meet the team
Our Sustainable Agriculture and Agri-food Systems team is led by our Program Director, Mr. Ryan Tougas-Cooke. He specializes in agricultural policy, innovation and adoption strategies, and value-chain sustainability initiatives. Tougas-Cooke is joined by Ms. Olivia Richardson, a Research Associate specializing in sustainable innovation, digital agriculture and risk management in agriculture, and Ms. Karina Lopez Ivich, a Research Associate and PhD candidate at the University of Ottawa with expertise in environmental engineering, ecosystem-based management and environmental economics. Our team is supported by Mr. Michael Twigg, Director, Nature Economies, who specializes in development economics, ecosystem service valuation and participatory policy design, and Ms. Elizabeth Daigle, Research Associate specializing in environmental economics and nature-based solutions.
Our work combines academic expertise and thought leadership on risk management, innovation and resilience to deliver research and strategies that can help farmers, value chains, ENGOs and governments weather today’s challenges. We encourage other researchers and practitioners in this space to reach out to our team at info@smartprosperity.ca.
Read our agriculture blog posts
- Strengthening Canada’s local food systems
- It’s tough for Canadian farmers to be green if they’re in the red
- Strengthening Canadian agriculture from the ground up
- Untapped potential of Indigenous agriculture
Read our agriculture publications
- Unlocking the Economic Power of Natural Climate Solutions
- Carbon Offsets for Farmers
- Efficient Nitrogen Fertilizer Management
- Clean Growth in Canada’s Agriculture and Agri-food Sector
- Circular Food Solutions in Canada: A Coast to Coast Landscape Scan
- A Circular Agriculture and Agri-food Economy for Canada
Find our insights on partner platforms
- Exploring Ways to De-risk BMP Adoption in Crop Farming
- Regenerative Agriculture for Canada: Considerations for Standardization
Our work in the news
- Conserving grassland can save our farms
- Indigenous Ag Summit focuses on community, partnership
- Unlocking the power of natural climate solutions with SPI and Nature United
- Unlocking the economic potential in Canada’s lands, forests, and waters
- Food industry leaders launch alliance to champion net zero in agri-food sector
