Future of food, sustainable business top agenda at Arrell Food Summit

Industry leaders discussed climate solutions and the future of Canadian food at the Arrell Food Summit: Pathway to Change, hosted by the Arrell Food Institute in Toronto Nov. 14.

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Why it matters: The Arrell Food Summit brings together agri-food leaders and experts to exchange ideas and learn more about topics affecting global food systems.

In the first panel discussion, Feeding the Future with Canadian Innovation, Ocean Spray board chair and Bank of Canada board member Peter Dhillon spoke about changes he feels are necessary to the future of Canadian food. He said current practices and climate change could lead Canada to a food crisis.

“What we could do 10, 20 years ago, we can’t do today.” 

He listed global food system disruptions such as Europe’s recent struggles with wildfires, India closing its borders to rice trade and California predicted to lose one million production acres by the end of the decade.

“This is leading to something that I don’t think we’re giving enough attention to,” Dhillon said. “This should be a wake-up call to everybody.”

He compared the possible future food crisis to Canada’s current housing crisis, noting that if Canada had had more foresight, the housing crisis could have been avoided. The same mistake should not be made with food.

“Conventional food production is on a decline,” he said, but innovation could help to avoid catastrophe in the near future.

“There is a new emerging area in indoor growing that is happening. If you go to the Netherlands, they figured it out a long time ago. We need to do the same, especially in Canada. Especially having six months of winter all the time. How can indoor agriculture play a much bigger role?

“Sometimes it’s as simple a solution as just get out of the way. Start taking down those barriers,” Dhillon said. “A lot of the solutions are just regulatory.”

Patience will be important in the process of fixing Canada’s food system, he added.

“This is not a quick win. It’s a must-win, but it’s not a quick win. There’s going to be a social win, there’s going to be a national win … if we get this thing right.”

He said forums like the Arrell Food Summit are important in discussing food production issues.

“The platforms are here. We’ve just got to get Canadians or governments to start getting it as well.”

The second panel discussion of the day, The Business Case for Climate Solutions focused on the role of business and investors in climate solutions within the food system.

Many panelists agreed that finding climate solutions is a positive environmental move and a potentially profitable one for businesses.

“You can accomplish multiple goals,” said panelist Ellery Burton, principal managing partner at Alterra Innovation. “You can help the climate and help a business by eliminating waste, doing things more efficiently.

“There’s real problems out there that need to be solved. Go solve them and then, you know, prove it to others what the value of them is.”

Julia Gartside, global head of Climate Change Strategies for SLR Consulting, said she has seen growing interest in financial investment in climate strategies.

“In the last four years, the biggest catalyst I’ve seen is that the investment community have woken up,” said Gartside. “Prior to that, it was the governments driving a lot and it was a lot of us thinking the consumers were demanding things.”

Sally Flis, director of Sustainability Program Design and Outcome Management at Nutrien Ag Solutions, spoke to the need for mutually beneficial outcomes for businesses and producers.

“How do we make the grower more profitable with the practices that we’re recommending in the field and how do we drive our business at the same time?” she said.

Mohammed Yaghi, climate and agriculture policy lead at RBC’s Climate Action Institute, pointed to Statistics Canada data on the agriculture sector’s role in carbon sequestration.

“Agriculture is leading that way. The real question we need to answer is how can we, as a business case, remunerate producers for what they’re already doing on the farm right now?”

Yaghi said access to innovative technology could make Canada a leader in agricultural sustainability, and help businesses and investors as well.

“If agriculture wins, if every sector of the Canadian economy wins, ultimately we as a business win as well.”

Burton acknowledged the challenge in finding common ground.

“It’s such a mosaic between the growers, the crop consultants and leadership in a large company to figure out exactly where you can make progress,” he said.

However, he encouraged businesses to play a role in finding sustainable agriculture solutions.

“You guys have a lot of influence, a lot of power in those organizations, and I think what I would say is, be open to innovation.”