Growing Forward 2: My responces.

Sorry for the long, boring no-picture post today, but I thought this was a really interesting and important thing to be involved in. Even if it took a good chunk out of my afternoon! I do think it's good to write down your thoughts and philosophies from time to time, gives you pause & reason to consider what you feel is really important. Even better to do it in involvement with the civic process and hopefully influence positive changes.
Everything with a little O beside it was my response.

Growing Forward 2
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COMPETITIVENESS: DEVELOPING DOMESTIC AND GLOBAL MARKETS

A modern agriculture and food sector is resilient, competitive and sustainable. It depends on how well the sector is able to compete and adapt to shifting domestic and international markets. This section focuses on the key areas of competitiveness and market growth for the sector’s performance, which are: competing on cost; meeting requirements for product attributes; maintaining and expanding access to markets; and enhancing Canada’s performance in markets.

1. How can the sector use resources more efficiently?
   • Allowing small farmers to market their products directly to consumers.
   • Making it easier for new farmers to enter into agriculture.
   • Focus on diversifying and creating more farms supplying a range of products, rather then intense single-output farms.
2. How do we better use innovation to improve productivity and reduce costs?
   • Increase minimum levels or remove quota requirements for small farmers, they are cost-prohibitive for new/small growers.
   • Adding an apprenticeship program to agriculture, such as has been introduced in the construction sector.
   • Ask farmers directly about what areas need to be considered for R&D.
   • Shifting focus to increased diversity on the farm and benefits for environmental considerations.
3. What needs to be done for industry to compete on product attributes?
   • Encouragement for new and immigrant farmers.
   • Focus on growing fresh fruits and vegetables.
   • Allowing small farmers to sell and market directly to consumers.
   • Better education for adult Canadians to proper nutrition and the benefits of fresh, locally grown food.
   • Increase minimum levels or remove quota requirements for small farmers, they are cost-prohibitive for new/small growers.
   • Provide incentives and recognition for entrepreneurial and diversified business models.
4. What needs to be done to improve industry’s ability to access markets?
   (What I wanted to say, but it was over 500 characters)
   • Better support for small/new farmers
   • Encouraging more small/medium scale biodiverse farms
   • Removing minimum quota systems or greatly increase the minimum quota, for chickens and eggs. These are cost prohibitive for a new/small-scale farmer, difficult to police and do not lead to better food security. They reduce the capacity of small, responsible farmers to sell their product directly to local consumers.
   • Remove restrictions on marketing for small/new chicken and egg farmers. The inability to place a local online classified ad with out purchasing quota is an unreasonable restriction, this greatly reduces the market opportunity for new farmers. More over, it prevents interested consumers from purchasing the products they want because of inability to find the local food they desire with out direct contact with the farmer.
   • Rules governing all poultry management for small/new farmers need to be re-examined for their purpose. Laws about free-ranging birds in a confined area constrain farmers from reducing their costs for fertilizer and input costs into the chickens in ways that do not increase food-security.
     (So what I had to put)
   • Removing minimum quota systems or greatly increase the minimum quota, for chickens and eggs. These are cost prohibitive for a new/small-scale farmer, difficult to police and do not lead to better food security.
   • Remove restrictions on marketing for small/new chicken and egg farmers. The inability to place a local online classified ad with out purchasing quota is an unreasonable restriction; and it prevents interested consumers from finding and purchasing the products they want.
5. How can industry be better positioned to access global supply chains and improve market performance?
   • By assisting new and smaller farmers by changing regulations, increasing possibilities of local competition, and allowing small/medium scale farmers to market to local consumers we decrease the amount of foreign agriculture products in our country. As well as allowing large-scale farmers to shift focus exclusively to the export markets.

ACHIEVING ADAPTABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

The purpose of this section is to stimulate discussion on the goals and strategies to achieve greater adaptability and sustainability. It is recognized that long term prosperity for the sector will be achieved by continuously adapting to a changing environment, and by using sustainable practices in the management of its risks and activities. In this regard, it is critical that industry stakeholders play a lead role in defining the strategies needed to move forward.

Adaptability refers to the ability and capacity of the industry and its individual players to anticipate and adjust to changing external environments and pressures, to manage the associated risks and to take advantage of new opportunities.

Sustainability is about the sector’s management of its resource base (financial, human and natural). It takes into consideration both current and longer term needs of the sector, consumers and society. The objective is a resilient, profitable and competitive industry.

1. What are the risks faced by industry that could be proactively managed? What are the best proactive risk management tools?
   • It is cost prohibitive for new farmers, with out access to a family farm, to enter into agriculture.
   • Providing support to new farmers will increase the diversity of Canadian foods, leading to an increase in security and growth in this sector.
   • More localize food system provides greater stability and support for new/small-scale farmers.
2. How can industry (industry organizations and industry players) play a more effective role in developing the capacity to adapt and be sustainable?
   • Financial institutions and private lending programs need to be encourage to extend support to new farmers.
   • We need to preserve farmland close to big cities for use as farmland, as well as secure access to clean water and support systems for farmers.
3. What knowledge, skills, tools or services are necessary to :
   • Further enhance industry players’ ability/capacity to proactively manage their risks and achieve market-based profitability?
   • Ensure that reliable, meaningful and timely information on best practices is available to support adaptability and sustainability?
   • Support the next generation of farmers? 
     
     (what I wanted to say)
     
   • We need more programs in place to support new and small-scale farmers entering the agriculture sector and growing their business.
     
   • Programs such as implementing apprenticeship programs in a similar model to those for Red Seal Trade programs.
     
   • This must include support and assistance to eduction in smaller more biodiverse farms as well as conventional farming methods.
     
   • Increasing education opportunities for new farmers which extend beyond college programs into hands-on training.
     
   • Financial programs to help new and small scale farmers with start up grants and low-interest loans, including for the purchase of farm land.
     
   • Making existing programs more accessible to new and small-scale farms.
     
   • The purchase of farm land, especially close to an urban consumer base, is cost prohibitive and unattainable for new or small-scale farms. Incentives need to be put into place that both give the farmer selling the land a reasonable profit for the value of the land, and for the purchaser to continue to use the land for agriculture.
     

(what is less then 500 characters)

• We need more accessible programs in place to support new and small-scale farmers entering the agriculture sector and growing their business, including land purchase.
  
• Programs such as implementing apprenticeship programs in a similar model to those for Red Seal Trade programs. This must include support and assistance to eduction in smaller more biodiverse farms as well as conventional farming methods.
  

1. How can governments play its role, recognizing the diversity of situations and business models:
   • Without impeding adaptation to market signals?
   • Without displacing private risk management tools?
     
   • Many new, small-scale, and alternative farmers rely on different inputs then conventional farms, government needs to remove restrictions and improve access to seeds, technologies and other inputs.
     
   • Incentives for farm support and supply-management sectors to cater to smaller-scale farmers.
     
     
2. What are the right environmental priorities for action to achieve longer term sustainability?
   • There needs to be greater focus on providing incentives for farmers to practice more environmentally friendly management techniques.
   • The creation of mechanisms/incentives to stop farmland loss and conversion into housing developments.
   • Long-term community-driven investments into local food production.
   • Encouragement and incentives for small-scale biodiverse farms close to urban centres.
   • Improve and expand urban composting programs and restrictions on non-agrilcultural uses of pesticides and herbicides.

(less then 500 characters)

• There needs to be greater focus on providing incentives for farmers to practice more environmentally friendly management techniques.

• Long-term community-driven investments into local food production.
• Encouragement and incentives for small-scale biodiverse farms close to urban centres.
• Improve and expand urban composting programs and restrictions on non-agrilcultural uses of pesticides and herbicides.

6. What are the most effective approaches and tools to adjust to environmental challenges and opportunities for farms and firms?
   • Developing programs that give farmers incentives to practice more ecologically-sound methods.
   • Developing an apprenticeship program for new farmers that focuses both on conventional as well as alternative agriculture.
7. How can the broader set of FPT policies be integrated to achieve a range of adaptability and sustainability objectives?
   • Focusing on supporting small-scale and new farmers both in entering a competitive market and expanding their businesses.

INNOVATION

Innovation is an important driver in achieving the two main outcomes of GF2: improving the competitiveness of the sector; and achieving adaptability and sustainability.

Over the years, innovation has contributed to increased yields and disease protection, new products and production methods, lower production costs and minimization of the sector’s environmental footprint. The adoption of new business practices and market models have also allowed the sector to respond to new local and global challenges.

1. How can the sector attract new investment into agriculture?
   • Providing better opportunities and reducing restrictions for new farmers.
2. How can we improve our collaborations – regionally, nationally and internationally?
   • By consulting with small-scale and new farmer representatives as well as large-scale farmers.
   • Support and resources for small farmer-driven groups which support local issues.
3. What role should industry, academia and government play to facilitate innovation at each stage of the innovation process?
   • By creating mechanisms for supporting community-driven research at grass-roots level.
4. How do you see innovation becoming part of the sector's strategy to address risks?
   • Greater investment in local support infrastructure which is more appropriate to the scale of local agriculture (small abattoirs and processing plants) would allow a more competitive market which would benefit small-scale and new farmers.
5. In your opinion, what are the key incentives to foster innovation?
   • Support for community-driven research & development.
   • Support for new and small-scale biodiverse farmer both entering agriculture and growing their businesses.

INSTITUTIONAL AND PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

This section defines infrastructure and its linkages to the two broad GF2 objectives. It provides a recap of current challenges and opportunities associated with infrastructure for the Canadian agriculture, agri-food and agri-based industry, as raised in the previous sections. They are reviewed in order to help stakeholders identify priority areas.

Infrastructure is divided into two categories: 

• Institutional: Laws and regulations, trade agreements, standards, and rules that impact production and marketing of goods and services. Institutional infrastructure also includes agencies and organizations that support sector productivity, including industry associations, trade and marketing agencies, community organizations, and educational institutions. 
  

• Physical: Publicly and privately-owned assets that support the sector, such as information and communication technologies, offices, research laboratories, water management, railways and distribution systems.
  

1. How could industry organizations play a role in resolving cross-cutting issues such as R&D and strategic long-term planning that affect various members of the supply chain?
   • Creation of regional food-hubs and processing plants
   • The creation of issue-based roundtables that pull in experts from various sectors (including small-scale biodiverse farmers) to advise on solving cross-cutting problems.
2. What mechanisms and tools would best enable the sector to respond to and benefit from public and private standards?
   • Ensuring that Canada becomes a leader in supporting sustainable agriculture, while supporting sound ecological practices and animal-welfare.
   • Working to ensure descriptive labelling for all food products.
   • Making labelling standards more attainable for small-scale and new farmers while preserving the spirit of the label.
   • Support for farmers attempting to fulfil requirements for labelling, such as organic.
3. What are the regulatory issues that impact industry competitiveness, adaptability, sustainability and innovation? And how should they be addressed?
   • Removing minimum quota systems or greatly increase the minimum quota, for chickens and eggs. These are cost prohibitive for a new/small-scale farmer, difficult to police and do not lead to better food security. They reduce the capacity of small, responsible farmers to sell their product directly to local consumers.
   • Remove restrictions on marketing for small/new chicken and egg farmers. The inability to place a local online classified ad with out purchasing quota is an unreasonable restriction, this greatly reduces the market opportunity for new farmers. More over, it prevents interested consumers from purchasing the products they want because of inability to find the local food they desire with out direct contact with the farmer.
   • Rules governing all poultry management for small/new farmers need to be re-examined for their purpose. Laws about free-ranging birds in a confined area constrain farmers from reducing their costs for fertilizer and input costs into the chickens in ways that do not increase food-security.
4. What are the longer term priorities for investment in systems such as Information and communications technologies, transportation and water infrastructures?
   • Removing restrictions on small-scale and new farmers for marketing online would foster a greater interest in participating in ICT.
   • Reduced reliance on long-distance transport in exchange for locally-grown foods would benefit many sectors.
   • Better environmental regulation and safety standards for watersheds.

GENERAL COMMENTS

(What I wanted to say)

The future of Canadian agriculture lies in the hands of new farmers and we are not doing enough to facilitate entry into farming. Land and start-up costs are very prohibitive for those not starting with a family farm. With the increasing average age of Canadian farmers, we need to act now to stem a tide that will lead to great insecurity and shortages in the supply of food and non-food farm products.

The ideas of quotas are out-dated and should not apply to small-scale producers. They make it cost-prohibitive for new farmers to expand their business with out significant investment/debt. We needs to support biodiverse small-scale farms which supply local consumers. This will lead to greater food-security, innovation and to expand the capacity of Canada to produce more food for export.

As a Canadian who recently bought a small farm, it is very difficult for me to start a business if I can, for instance, only produce 300 meat chickens in a year, can only sell them at my farm-gate and can only market them with a small sign on my own property with out purchasing expensive quota. We need to change these prohibitive regulations; as well as maintain our food-security standards. We can do this by supporting local infrastructure, such as abattoirs, to increase competition and reduce cost for the small-scale farmer. We need to facilitate low-interest loans and grant programs for new farmers, and encourage suppliers to offer better prices on start-up equipment for small-scale producers. We need to support community groups and farming projects. As well as implement an apprenticeship program which focuses on both conventional farming techniques as well as alternative ones.

Consumers are growing more aware of issues of food-security, animal-welfare, and the importance of sustainable agriculture. To support new farmers, as well as small and medium-scale biodiverse farms, would be fulfilling the desires and needs of the Canadian public.

(less then 500 characters)

We need to change prohibitive regulations on quota; as well as maintain our food-security standards. We can do this by supporting local infrastructure, such as abattoirs, to increase competition and reduce cost for the small-scale farmer. We need to facilitate low-interest loans and grant programs for new farmers, and encourage suppliers to offer better prices on start-up equipment for small-scale producers. We need to support community groups and farming projects.