Ottawa-Agriculture research in Canada face significant challenges and thought should be given to its future, says a report from the Canadian Agri-food Policy Institute.

While the research and development system has driven prosperity for decades, public funding is declining, research efforts are fragmented and incentives do not align well with production and societal needs, the report said.

“External forces such as climate change, trade tensions and rapid technological shifts are reshaping agricultural research demands beyond the system’s current capacity.”

The agri-food sector needs to create a shared understanding about the challenges and how to respond to them, the report said. Are the problems well understood and is it time to reconsider the status quo. “How should anticipated funding cuts and external disruptions inform future directions?”

CAPI is aiming to foster inclusive, evidence-informed dialogue about potential reforms that the agriculture research and development system needs to play to help the sector achieve its full potential.

“The goal is not to develop solutions immediately but to create space for honest and productive dialogue about change. This starts with the need for a clearer picture of where things stand, what a 21st century ag innovation system looks like, and what it takes to transition from the status quo to the future.”

Among the challenges facing agriculture research are fragmented coordination, outdated infrastructure, private sector underinvestment and weak research-to-farm pathways. Without a common understanding of the system’s flaws, proposed solutions risk being ineffective.

Understanding the current state of agriculture research is needed to guide meaningful system reform, the report said. A clear purpose is needed to ensure the scale of transformation needed to meet 21st Century needs. “Without changing current structures and incentives, the system’s outcomes will remain the same despite pressing needs for improvement.”

“While declining public funding has drawn much of the attention, the roots of the problem run deeper. Misaligned incentives, fragmented decision-making, aging infrastructure, uneven knowledge transfer, and a lack of shared direction all contribute to a system that is not delivering what agriculture in Canada needs to navigate an uncertain, volatile future, but one that is full of opportunity for the sector.”

The path forward begins with a clearer understanding of where the system stands and what outcomes it should be working toward. CAPI hopes its report will bring the agri-food system together for a broader conversation that reflects honestly on what is working and what needs to change and shaping a collective sense of purpose.

“From that shared purpose, more concrete steps can follow. Priorities such as competitiveness, profitability, growth, resilience and sustainability can only be addressed through greater coordination and longer-term thinking.”

That includes examining how funding flows, how research is evaluated and applied and how policies and programs affect those doing the work on the ground.”

The challenges include climate and food security to rural economic development and technological transformation, which can be met with a more connected and responsive R&D system.

It has to reflect the diversity of actors in the sector and bring research, policy, and practice into closer alignment. While there is momentum across the sector toward a more deliberate and better-coordinated approach to agriculture research, change will take time.

“The work will not be easy, but there are already many valuable pieces in place. Stakeholders don’t need to start from a blank slate, and change doesn’t have to feel like a mountain.”

This news report prepared for National Newswatch