Extension and Advisory Is key For Enhancing Public Trust and Canada’s Growth in Agriculture and Food

The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) is a five-year, $3.5 billion agreement (2023-2028) between federal, provincial, and territorial governments to support Canada’s agriculture, agri-food, and agri-based products sector. It focuses on enhancing the sector’s competitiveness, innovation, and resilience through investments in five key priority areas: Climate Change and Environment; Science, Research, and Innovation; Market Development and Trade; Building Sector Capacity, Growth and Competitiveness; and Resiliency and Public Trust. Although extension and advisory have not been explicitly mentioned, the key components of the partnerships such as, AgInnovat, AgDiversity, AgCompetitiveness, and AgAssurance, underlie functions and roles of extension. Extension services are provided by a variety of actors, including public programs, industry associations and commodity groups, professional agrologists, and the private sector. Despite the critical role extension plays, challenges exist, such as skilled labour shortages and the need for common analytics platforms and rural broadband to help farmers realize the full potential of new digital technologies and information. Strengthening extension efforts is crucial to ensure that research is adopted quickly and that new knowledge and technologies address the needs of end-users effectively. This contributes to agricultural productivity and competitiveness in Canada. The concepts and foundations of extension have evolved to take a more holistic view of agri-food and rural development. The mission now extends beyond providing trusted advice to farmers; it also encompasses mental health, environmental stewardship, and the support of creativity and entrepreneurship. This encapsulates the mission of CAREE: to raise awareness, broaden understanding, foster discussions, and enhance social and policy relevance about the role of extension and advisory services in Canada and internationally.