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HAFA 4U/C
FOOD PRODUCTION IN CANADA
&
THE FOOD SYSTEM
BACKGROUND
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Canada as we discussed is a large nation with many climate zones and
a wide variety of geological formations, climates and ecological systems.
Canada also contains micro-climate areas where the climate will differ
from the larger surrounding area.
Micro- climates can be as small as one field or as large as many
hectares of land.
Examples: The Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia is located between two
mountain ridges the resulting micro-climate gives the valley mild
temperatures that allow farmers to grow fruit and vegetable crops.
In BC in The Peace Valley the Rocky Mountains funnel warm pacific air
east into an area typically dominated by arctic air masses – the resulting
micro-climate makes this the best grain growing area in Canada.
The only desert in Canada is in Southern B.C the Osoyoos area allows for
the harvest of the earliest fruits and vegetables in all of Canada
ANIMAL PRODUCTION IN CANADA
The Conference Board of Canada reports that
Canada is the fourth largest agriculture and
agri-food exporter in the world
 Animal production is the largest Canadian
agricultural sector and includes: red meat,
poultry, eggs and dairy.
 Agri-food: food produced agriculturally as
opposed to food that is hunted, fished or
gathered from the wild.
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BEEF, PORK & LAMB
Are the most common red meats raised in
Canada.
 In Canada there are approximately 83,000
cattle farms and ranches.
 Canada produces 1.2 billion kilograms of beef
annually and is sized as the largest beef
exporting country – primarily to the United
States, Japan and other Pacific Rim markets.
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The size of pig farms vary but over 98% of
Canada’s pig farms are family owned.
 31 % of Canadian pork is exported to the United
States and 21 % to Japan.
 In 2006 only 1.2 % of Canadian farmers were
sheep farmers, much of the lamb Canadians eat is
imported.
 Question: Which provinces do you think would
have the most beef farms/ranches? What are
possible reasons for this?
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POULTRY
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Chicken and Turkey are Canada’s most common poultry
products
The per capita annual consummation of 31.5kg in 2010
Chicken is Canada’s favourite protein!
In 2009, 147 Million kilograms of fresh, chilled, and
frozen chicken worth more than 288.5 million was
exported to 73 countries with the largest importers
being the United States, the Philippines, and Hong Kong.
2010 there were 2800 regulated chicken producers in
Canada providing 19 000 jobs.
Ontario is the largest producer and processor of chicken
in the country raising 1/3 of all chicken produced in
Canada (546 turkey farms in Canada) 15% of Canadian
Turkey is raised for export.
EGGS
The egg industry contributes 500 Million
annually to the Canadian economy.
 Canada has 1000 registered farms with farms
in every Canadian province and in the NWT.
 Ontario produces 39% of Canada’s eggs
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DAIRY
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Canada’s third largest agricultural sector in terms of
sales following grains, and red meats.
Canadian Dairy cattle population = 1.4 million animals
on approximately 13, 000 dairy farms.
82% of dairy farms are in Ontario and Quebec
13% are in the western provinces and 5% in the Atlantic
provinces.
30-40% of the milk produced is sold as milk the rest is
used for dairy products such as butter, cheese, yogurt,
and ice cream.
The production of organic milk is increasing in Canada
as are the production of goat and sheep milk.
QUESTIONS:
Describe the difference between beef and dairy
production.
 What concerns do/should people have about
the treatment of animals that are going to be
sold for consumption?
 What might cause meat or dairy consumption
to increase or decrease?
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FOOD CROP PRODUCTION
Grains & Oil Seeds, Fruits and Vegetables, Pulses
and Specialty Crops.
 Canada is one of the top three wheat exporters on
the planet and the worlds largest producer of high
protein milling wheat – prized for its superiority in
pasta and baking breads.
 Also Canada is the leading exporter of malting
barley used by brewers.
 Wheat is grown in many parts of Canada but a
majority of which is in the western Prairies.
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Canada’s arid climate and rolling plains produce some of the
best spring wheat in the world.
However winter wheat cannot survive the harsh Canadian
winters.
Canola (an oilseed crop) was developed over years as
rapeseed breeders in Manitoba (in the 1960’s and 70’s)
cross bred traditional plants to reduce the undesirable
characteristics.
Canola oil is an abbreviation for Canadian Oil.
The outcome was a plan that yielded food grade oil
containing healthy combinations of fatty acids, Canola is now
one of the most profitable commodities for Canadian
farmers.
WHAT ARE PULSES?
Dried legumes such as peas, beans, chickpeas,
lentils etc.
 They are a source of protein especially eaten with
grains, nuts or seeds.
 2010 Canada accounted for 32% of the world
dried pea production and 38% of the world lentil
production making it a dominant player in world
trade.
 Question: what popular food dish that you have
consumed may use pulses?
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HORTICULTURE
Includes field and greenhouse fruit and vegetables
as well as maple and honey products.
 Vegetables grown agriculturally in Canada include:
potatoes, peas, sweet corn, carrots, beans,
tomatoes, broccoli, and native fiddle heads and
other lesser known vegetables.
 Fruit and vegetable farming requires specialized
equipment and it is labour intensive.
 Production practices vary greatly depending on the
crop being grown.
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FRUIT
Fruits are normally associated with southern
Ontario and southwest BC.
 However there are many small pockets of fruit
production across Canada.
 The most common fruits grown in Canada are:
apples, grapes, peaches, pears, strawberries,
raspberries, blueberries, apricots, melons,
cherries, plums, and nectarines.
 BC is the primary grower of: grapes, blueberries,
and cranberries
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MAPLE SYRUP
Canada’s maple syrup producing regions are in:
Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova
Scotia.
 Aboriginals taught early settlers how to harvest,
boil and prepare maple syrup and associated
products.
 Question: Have you ever been to a syrup
festival or gone to collect sap as a family or on
a field trip? Describe this experience.
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HONEY AND BEEKEEPING
Approximately 7000 beekeepers keep 600 000
colonies of honeybees in Canada.
 In addition to making honey, the honeybees
also pollinate a variety of fruits, vegetables,
tree nuts, oilseeds and legume.
 An estimated 80% of insect crop pollination is
accomplished by these honeybees.
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SPECIALTY CROPS
Are foods that do not fit into other categories
such as buckwheat (despite the name this is a
fruit seed), ginseng, herbs and spices, wild rice,
sugar beets, medicinal plants, sunflower,
safflower, and mustard seed.
 Canada is the largest supplier of mustard
seeds in the world
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GREENHOUSE GROWING
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Tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, English cucumbers or
butter lettuce from grocery stores often come from
greenhouses – never grown in soil, and never exposed
to natural sunlight or rain.
2011 marked the 5th straight year sales in greenhouses
outsold sales in field grown vegetables. Ontario
accounting for 2/3 of all greenhouse sales.
Inuvik, NWT has had a commercial greenhouse since
1999 that also included community garden plots with
long hours of summer sunlight they can grown multiple
crops and flowers in the same greenhouse.
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According to the B.C Ministry of Agriculture
greenhouse crops yield up to 10 times as much
as crops grown in the field.
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Temperature, light, and humidity conditions can be
precisely controlled within a greenhouse environment
and the use of soilless media such as sawdust
eliminates the risk of problems caused by water and
disease.
Air blasts are used to pollinate flowers, or beehives are
sometimes placed inside greenhouses.
Integrated pest management involves the use of
biological predators such as lady bugs to eat harmful
pests like aphids.
60% of greenhouses are able to go untreated by
pesticides.
VERTICAL FARMS
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This concept is based on the idea of eliminating the
need for land in order to create greenhouses.
They can place greenhouses on top of buildings that
already exists
Also there is the concepts that greenhouses can be built
vertically almost like a high rise with many levels.
Questions:
Are all crops suitable for growing in greenhouses? Why
or why not? Use an example in your answer.
Explain how you think rooftop gardens or vertical
greenhouses can be applied within Cambridge? Where
could be put one? What would be some of the benefits
of this?
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES
Read the article on the green revolution.
 Copy into your notes the following definitions.
 Nanotechnology
 Genetic Engineering
Questions:
1. Do you think the first Green Revolution between
1950-1970 was successful? Why or Why not?
2. What are the similarities or differences between
the first Green Revolution and newer emerging
trends/revolutions?
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COMMERCIAL FISHING
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Huge market in Canada as it is bordered by three oceans and has
numerous lakes and rivers that provide an abundance of fish and
marine life.
Canada has one of the worlds moth valuable commercial fishing
industries it is the 7th largest in the world of fish and seafood
products.
More than half the total catch is exported: salmon, ground fish such
as halibut, and herring are amongst the most valuable; then lobster,
crab, shrimp, and scallops are the most valuable seafood catches.
Freshwater fisheries account for 4% of the total Canadian Landings,
with pickerel, yellow fish, whitefish, northern pike and lake trout
being the most common species.
Although it is profitable we have to be concerned with overfishing
and illegal activity that causes the ecosystems to degrade.
Examples of overfishing are demonstrated by the cod fishery in
Newfoundland.
AQUACULTURE: THE FARMING OF FISH,
SHELLFISH AND AQUATIC PLANTS
Fish are raised to maturity in enclosed shelters
 Two main sectors in Canada: shellfish & finfish
 Finfish includes: salmon, cod, tilapia, and halibut.
 Shellfish includes: mussels, clams, and oysters.
 Canada ranks 4th world wide in Salmon Production
– primarily in BC and New Brunswick
 Question: what are some concerns with
aquaculture? How might it impact the ocean and
ecosystems?
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THE FOOD SYSTEM
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A typical meal consists of several different fresh, prepared,
or processed foods.
The journey begins on a farm, in fields, rivers, oceans,
ranches, and moves through the hands of many people
travelling to processors, transporters, warehouses,
operators, retailers, cooks, and consumers.
Food system = all the processes, activities people and other
resources involved in growing, harvesting, production,
processing, packaging, transporting, distributing, marketing,
retailing, consuming and disposing of food.
Food system = interdependent links required to put food on
tables at home and in restaurants and to provide food
products for trade and export
FOOD SYSTEM VISUAL
COMPONENTS OF THE FOOD SYSTEM:
1. Inputs: Human, Natural and Other Resources
 Human – labour, expertise, knowledge,
research.
 Natural – soil, seeds, water, animals, fertilizers,
pesticides, compost, and fuels.
 Other – infrastructure, buildings, machinery,
and financial supports
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2. Food Production:
 Conventional (dominant method), industrial
model, or alternative approaches.
 Food grown, raised, harvested or caught in a
wide variety of settings around the world:
 Commercial farms, family farms, corporate
farms, collective farms, urban agriculture,
industrial farms, or mixed farms all exist.
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3. Food Processing: the deliberate change or
transformation in a food that occurs before it is
available for consumers to eat.
 It can be as simple as washing carrots, to adding
sweeteners and spices, to cooking, baking or
dehydrating.
 Each step of the food value chain adds economic
value to the product.
 Processed and packaged foods can be stored
longer making distribution easier.
 In some cases companies/corporation own several
components in the food value chain this is called
vertical integration.
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4. Food Distribution: food products and ingredients are often
transported from site of production to a different site for
processing and packaging, moved to warehouses, stored,
organized and moved again to distribution centres -> finally
they end up in retail outlets or food service facilities.
As food products travel from farm to table, marketing makes
people aware they are available for purchase. By the time a
product reaches the table it has travelled many kilometers by
truck, railway, ships, airplanes and has been handled by
many people.
Food Miles: is a term which refers to the distance food is
transported from the time of its production until it reaches
the consumer. Food miles are one factor used when
assessing the environmental impact of food, including the
impact on global warming.
5. Food Access: most people purchase food
from retail outlets such as supermarkets,
convenience stores, specialty stores etc.
 Other options: Community supported
agriculture (buy from local farmers)
 Or some people grow their own food.
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The pictures are some of my own garden efforts
at home 
We will discuss food security in depth a little later on in the unit.
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6. Food Consumption: is the eating of already
prepared foods and preparing food in your own
home. By choosing some foods and not others
consumers play a critical role in the food
system.
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7. Outputs: Food is the most important output of the food
system however there some times are grown on farms to
satisfy other markets such as flowers, fibres, or animals for
racing etc.
Other outputs include manure, compost and other soil
enhancers.
The food system also creates food waste, packaging, air and
water pollution.
In Toronto a single family household will discard 275 kg of
food waste each year.
30% of fruits and vegetables will never make it to store
shelves as they do not meet requirements for sale to
consumers.
Water loss through food is estimated to be at 40 trillion litres
of water every year.