Shifting demographics and how horticulture is looking to feed diversity

Transcription

1 Shifting demographics and how horticulture is looking to feed diversity

2 History The Age of Mechanization ( ) The Age of Chemistry ( ) The Age of Abundance ( s) The Age of Biology (1990 s and on)... ag innovation sustains our species...

3 History Experimental Farm Stations Act (E 16) 1886 Established for the purpose of evaluating merits of crop varieties, preventing diseases, understanding fertilizers, etc. Established to serve farmers and develop Canada s agricultural industries Peaked in the late 1970 s with over 1200 scientists at AAFC Government has the responsibility for research and innovation for agriculture, but is this act setting a course for the future?

4 Cost Benefit IRR of publically funded research said to be very high ( > 40%), so why is government reducing investment? IRR numbers based on investments long past and are over estimates The life cycle of research benefits is much shorter that ever before, but the public innovation system is operating on timelines long past Net result of reduced impact is reduced investment From Julian Alston, 2010

5 Innovation timelines in agriculture HYBRID CORN 1877 First observation of hybrid vigor Inbreeding & crossbreeding 1917 Double cross hybrids 1922 Inbred development begins st commercial planting 1936 Double crosses widely popular % adoption on US farms

6 Why change? Horticulture products are essential for a healthy vibrant society Major driver of Canada s agricultural economy Heath and nutrition, exercise and positive lifestyles Food sovereignty is essential for any nation Changing the innovation system is essential in order to: Align innovation capability with consumer desires and industry needs Defragment existing innovation capability and link it into innovation pipelines Speed innovation programs to match product cycles Support the strategic shifts necessary to drive industry forward Better Potential Results Growth & success in the Canadian horticulture industry, Jobs, Food security, Environmental sustainability

7 Idea Invention Innovation Right Customer Consumer Concept Concept Partnerships Right Science & Scientific Partnerships Right Commercial Partnership Principles Enhanced attributes for enhanced consumer experience Concept resonates with consumers and warrants premium Enough economic potential to engage commercialization partnership Right nature and mix of sciences applied to increase probability of success Right partners with right scientific resources External validation of the science Right partners with full line of sight to the consumer market. Partners offer maximum market potential Partners mitigate each others commercial risks. Clear Outcomes and Max Impact

8 Ontario Horticulture: is a $2.1B industry

9 Ontario horticulture = enormous capability

10 Immigration % Ontario Quebec British Columbia Alberta Rest of Canada 16.0% 9.3% 17.5% 52.4% Canada = 1,109,980

11 Proportion of the Population belonging to a Visible Minority Group by Census Metropolitan Area, Canada, 2006 and By 2031 nearly 31% of Canada s population will be visible minorities More than 71% of all visible minority persons will be living in Toronto, Vancouver and Montréal. Currently the top three immigrant groups to Canada are from China, Philippines and India,

12 Evolving consumer tastes from...

13 Evolving consumer tastes to...

14 Opportunity Changing demographics drive innovation Nearly 63% of the GTA population will be visible minorities by 2031, $396M spent on vegetables by South Asian community, $252M by Chinese community and $84M by Afro Caribbean community National market is primarily served by imported produce (e.g. $7,959,358 on okra) Shows strong potential for growth in the future domestic, international Evolving market across ethnic groups Changing demographics creates an opportunity for Canadian farmers to replace imported crops with locally grown

15 Feeding Diversity Project is about getting culturally appropriate vegetables into grocery stores as quickly as possible Vineland co ordinates a distributed and open model of innovation Partners all along the value chain contribute to shared goal, albeit for different reasons No formal agreement binding all the partners together, although Vineland has bilateral agreements with many of the players

16 Steering Committee Michael Brownbridge, Director, Production Systems, Vineland Art Smith, CEO, OFVGA Harold Schooley, OFVGA Research Chair (ON grower rep) Claude Laniel, Secretary/Coordinator, Quebec Hort. Council Jean Bernard Vanwinden, QHC Vice President (QC grower rep) John Fiorino, Produce Category Manager, Longo s Satnam Bhathahl, Buyer/Manager, Golden Grocer Margaret Zondo, Southern Horizons Vegetable Farm Zahra Parvinian, Food Share Toronto Natalie Polito, Greengrocer Inc., Caledonia Produce Distributors

17 Partners J Collins & Sons Wagner Farms Gore Farms Tigchelaar Farms Vegetable Research Institute Faisalabad, Pakistan Vegetable Research Institute Faisalabad, Pakistan

18 Project leveraging and interlinking BPSIF Diversifying local food options for Broader Public Sector Institutions Niagara Parks Display gardens, Chef s Garden (Queenston Hts. Restaurant) New Directions Market size and dynamics, infrastructure needs OFVGA CAAP Project Greenbelt Fund (The Stop) Linking urban and rural farmers KTT (OMAFRA, UoG) Crop profiles Awareness OMIF (The Stop) Eating global, growing local

19 2010 Varietal Field Trial Five vegetable crops Three varieties of each crop Varietal trial at two different locations Vineland Research & Innovation Centre Simcoe Research Station Okra Yard Long Bean Eggplant Fuzzy Melon Amaranth

20 2010 Farmers field trials Chinese Red Hot Pepper (Capsicum annuum, Capsicum frutescens) Hot peppers love heat. They displayed comparative tolerance to frost They need warm soil and air temperatures throughout the growing season for optimum yields Indian Kaddu (Cucurbita pepo ) Vegetable Marrow is a warm season crop that is relatively easy to grow. Most varieties require 85 to 95 days from sowing to reach market maturity.

21 2011 Research Work Plan A. B Peri Long Noodle Three crop varieties selected based on results from 2010 varietal trial: Okra A. B. Peri Yard long bean Long Noodle Oriental eggplant Farmers Long Adaptation to on farm production: J Collins & Sons, Copetown (All three Crops) Gore Farms, Simcoe (Eggplant, Yard long Bean) John Wagner, Jordan Station(Okra, Yard Long Bean) Tigchelaars Farm, Binbrook (Eggplant) Farmers Long Up to 0.5 acres/crop

22 2011 Research Plan Varietal trial Six crops, three varieties of each: Round eggplant Popular among many ethnic groups Rich in macro and micronutrients Maca Root crop native to Peru High nutritional and nutraceutical value Tomatillo Staple in Mexican and South Asian cuisine Bottle gourd Popular in Asian cuisine High in dietary fibre Daikon radish Popular throughout Asia High in dietary fibre and other nutrients Indian red carrot Popular among South Asians Rich in antioxidants, dietary fibre Source of juice?

23 Impact World crops meeting March 2011 participants from industry, academia, government Twilight meetings growers and industry attendees (Vineland) Production selections from 2009/10 trials 3 acres production of Chinese red hot peppers (Tigchelaars Farm, Binbrook) 1 acre Chinese red hot peppers 2 acres Indian kaddu (Gore Farm, Simcoe) Chinese red hot peppers and eggplant trials in QC Outlets Toronto Food Terminal Pick your own Direct sale to ethnic grocery stores in the GTA (kaddu) Food Share Toronto 449 Good Food Boxes weekly The Stop Community Food Centre farmers market

24 Targeted crop diversification World Crops: Feeding diversity

25 Catalyzing partnerships to grow horticulture Isolation Model Connection Model Staff Suppliers Gov t University Industry The lab is my world The world is my lab

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