As agriculture becomes increasingly global, collaboration within the Americas is taking on new urgency. At the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) event hosted at Olds College this week, leaders from across the hemisphere gathered to align on trade and technology.
Keith Currie, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, was at the event and, in this interview, discusses both the international significance of IICA and the domestic disruption caused by postponing the federal-provincial-territorial (FPT) agriculture ministers' meeting.
CFA traditionally hosts a summer roundtable during the FPT meetings, and this year is no different — despite ministers pushing their official gathering to the fall. “We respect the decision, given the wildfires,” Currie says, but adds, “we’ve been assured hotel space isn’t an issue... if that becomes the case, we’ll rethink things.”
CFA still plans to convene industry stakeholders in Winnipeg to gather input on policy priorities ahead of the rescheduled FPT session, he says.
Top of mind for Currie? Competitiveness, regulatory reform, and future financing. While acknowledging fatigue around business risk management (BRM) programs, he emphasizes the need for broader focus: “Where is the future of farm finance? How do we create the competitive environment... to get that third-party capital venture into Canada?” These are the big questions that need answers.
Related: Annual FPT meeting postponed
