Canada joins U.S.-led coalition focused on promoting agricultural productivity

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Canada has quietly joined a coalition of countries promoting “sustainable productivity growth” in agriculture.

The Sustainable Productivity Growth Coalition for Food Security and Resource Conservation, known as the SPG Coalition, was first championed by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at the UN Food Systems Summit in September 2021. The coalition’s stated goal is to “accelerate the transition to more sustainable food systems through agricultural productivity growth that optimizes agricultural sustainability across social, economic, and environmental dimensions.”

It’s also seen as countering the European Union’s Farm to Fork strategy, which Vilsack and others say will lead to a reduction in agricultural productivity.

As of January 24, the Canadian government has not publicly announced the decision to sign on, but Canada has been listed as a member on the coalition’s website since January 10.

RealAgriculture has now confirmed Canada officially joined the SPG Coalition on December 17, 2021, and it’s expected Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau will make an announcement about joining the coalition in the coming days.

“We are proud to join like-minded nations around this important table to ensure our shared interest in securing a sustainable future for our sector and our world is achieved,” said Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) chair and Alberta farmer Andre Harpe, in a January 13 news release.

CropLife Canada is also applauding the move as “a clear signal from Canada that it is ready to join with like-minded countries around the world, embracing science-based regulation to help create more sustainable food systems.”

In addition to the productivity coalition, Canada has signed on to five other international coalitions coming out of the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, which are focused on the following goals:

  • Achieving Zero Hunger
  • Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate
  • Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems
  • Making Food Systems Work for Women and Girls
  • Food is Never Waste

More to come.

Related: Canadian government still undecided on U.S. invitation to join coalition focused on agricultural productivity

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