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Farming has never been simple. Weather shifts, markets swing, equipment breaks—and yet farmers continue to rise to the challenge every year. Now there’s another big challenge in front of us: climate volatility is testing the resilience of Canadian agriculture. Droughts, floods, and erosion threaten the productivity of our soils and the future of our crops.
Canada’s farmland is already experiencing climate impacts. Building resilience in our soils and cropping systems is how we protect our ability to feed Canadians—and the world—for generations to come.
The good news: farmers are well-versed at tackling big challenges. And with over 150 million acres of farmland across Canada, every acre managed with climate-smart practices adds up to a big impact. Who better than farmers to lead the way?
In Canada, agricultural productivity growth has slowed—from around 2% per year in the 1990s and 2000s to closer to 0.7% today—in concert with more frequent droughts and heat waves. That’s why bold, coordinated goals are needed.
Small fixes won’t cut it. Bold goals create clarity, focus, and momentum, giving us a destination to work towards together.
Consider cover cropping. It can be a big adjustment for an individual farmer. So can precision fertilizer or a new crop rotation. Each takes planning and investment—not to mention risk, especially in the beginning. While one field might feel like a drop in the ocean, those efforts matter. When practices like these accumulate—scaled across farms and repeated over time—they create resilience at the sector level. Bold goals help us coordinate those efforts so the sum is greater than its parts.
Canadian farmers have a global leadership role. They’re making daily decisions that shape 150 million acres of farmland and produce the food that makes Canada the 8th largest exporter in the world. More of the food we grow is consumed abroad than at home, which means how we grow it matters—not just for Canada, but for global food security. The choices farmers make every day on those acres have an outsized impact on the resilience of our food system…and give them the chance to benefit most from the solutions.
Farmers also feel climate impacts first: droughts that cut yields, floods that delay planting, erosion that washes away valuable topsoil. But the same practices that build resilience—healthy soils, efficient inputs, diversified rotations—can also improve profitability. Precision fertilizer means buying less product and using it where it has the most impact. Cover crops mean stronger soils and less erosion. These are resilience strategies that pay back.
Bold goals have rallying power. They remind us this challenge isn’t all on farmers’ shoulders. Agri-food companies, banks, researchers, and governments recognize the part they have to play—and many are stepping up to share the load with farmers as they adopt climate-smart practices.
Climate-smart practices aren’t new, but they haven’t been implemented at scale. As Craig Klemmer, Principal Economist at Farm Credit Canada, puts it, “It’s a coordination problem. Things are done in isolation. We’re not telling our story collectively or bringing the pieces together.”
Farmers carry most of the transition risk. Shifting to new practices requires upfront investment, new skills, and patience, while returns take time. Short-term yield drops aren’t uncommon. That’s why patient capital and broad support are essential. As the World Economic Forum’s 100 Million Farmers report concludes: “A coordinated system of actors can drive a step-change in sustainable food production by financing and delivering services for farmers that reduce their adoption risk.”
CANZA was created in 2023 as a Generate Canada Solution Space to solve the coordination problem and connect the people and organizations who can make change happen. From farmers in the field to food companies, banks, researchers, and NGOs, CANZA brings these actors together so that resilience practices can scale.
The focus is simple: practical solutions that strengthen farm businesses and improve environmental outcomes. This isn’t a win/lose proposition—profitability and sustainability can go hand in hand.
To deliver on this mission, CANZA works alongside a broad coalition of partners. Its executive committee and founding members include McCain Foods, RBC, Loblaw Companies Ltd., Nutrien, Maple Leaf Foods, Boston Consulting Group, the Smart Prosperity Institute, and the Arrell Food Institute, with research collaborations at the University of Guelph and University of Saskatchewan. Together with farmers, these partners are coordinating investment, de-risking practice changes, and rewarding the positive outcomes farmers deliver.
As David Hughes, President and CEO of Generate Canada, explains: “Through CANZA, the Canadian agri-food industry is poised to lead the way by adopting climate-smart farming practices and building resilience. What may seem like a challenge can become a remarkable economic opportunity.”
Canadian farmers have never backed down from a challenge. With bold goals, the right support, and shared commitment, together we can protect land, water, food, and livelihoods for generations to come. Farmers have been practicing regenerative agriculture on their own merit, and as we scale and systematize practices and Canadian agriculture grows more resilient, it’ll be because farmers led the way—showing what’s possible on the ground and inspiring others across the agri-food sector and beyond.
The challenges are immense. So is the opportunity. And who better than a farmer to lead the way?
