Issues in Contemporary Agriculture

AIC Research Reports

AIC is preparing three baseline studies on the challenges and opportunities for scientific and professional development in contemporary agriculture. The overarching objective is clear: to lay out in a simple format what, if anything, is standing in the way of attracting and retaining the professional expertise required if Canada is to lead in the sustainable and profitable use of the agri-resource base.

If you are interested in helping prepare one or more of these studies, please contact Myles Frosst, CEO.

The Intellectual Capital Report   The first study investigates the depth and breadth of the pool of intellectual talent available in Canada (i.e. the scholars and other professionals who apply their expertise to the sustainable and profitable maximization of societal and consumer benefits derived from the agri-resource base.) This is essentially a labour force study. How many university graduates are employed in Canada in research, teaching, consultancy or the economic sectors related to contemporary agriculture? What are their demographics? Are sufficient numbers of students being trained to meet future needs in these fields?

The Research Capital Report    The second study is concerned with the challenge of funding research in contemporary agriculture by the public and private sectors. Where are research dollars being spent, by whom and to what end? For example, what is the experience and likely trajectory of funding to underwrite the discovery of new uses (i.e. value streams) of feedstocks from the sustainable resource base? What is the level of funding of the production agriculture sciences required to dramatically increase sustainable yields? How much research funding is devoted to discovering and ultimately commercializing the contribution that contemporary agriculture can make to meeting the needs in Canada and internationally for food, fuel, fibre and pharmaceuticals?

The Public Policy Capital Report    The third and final study builds on the first two. Intellectual and financial capital must have a public policy environment conducive to their growth. Governments must provide the right policy tools to encourage human resource capacity building and to facilitate the investment of research dollars into contemporary agricultural sciences. This third report, therefore, investigates the top public policy constraints standing in the way of (a) attraction and retention of scientists and other professionals and (b) research, development and commercialization within and among the many sciences that make contemporary agriculture such an exciting and promising field.