Transcript Farmingweb
Food from the Land THE CHANGING NATURE OF FARMING FOOD FOR THOUGHT 1950s: Canadians spent ~ 25% of their income on food Today: Canadians spend ~ 11% of their income on food Includes meals eaten outside the home Why do you think this is so??? WHAT IS WHERE? “Buy land, they’ve stopped making it!” - Mark Twain Do you know where the valuable farm land is located in Canada? PROVINCIAL SHARES OF FARMLAND, 2001 WHY THERE? Canada Land Inventory (1960s and 1970s) Government surveyed most land in Southern Canada Goal: Determine the quality of land for agriculture 7 Classes 1 = Excellent conditions 6 = Land has serious limitations. Lands can only be used for rough grazing 0.5% Canada 1.8% Canada 7 = No capability for farming OR was not classified 86.8% Canada WHY THERE? Most of Canada’s best farmland = within 80 km of the largest 23 cities Some of this land converted to urban uses cannot be replaced because lack of other suitable land and climate conditions SOIL CAPABILITY FOR AGRICULTURE Source: http://geogratis.cgdi.gc.ca/CLI/frames.html WHY CARE? Agriculture and fish industry contributes more than 8% to Canada’s GDP 1/5 jobs is related to the agricultural sector of the economy Growing, processing, transportation, and food sales Agriculture = important part of Canada’s trade with other countries WHY CARE? Only Prairie provinces: Export > Import agricultural products EVOLUTION OF PRAIRIE FARM, 1988 & 2005 CURRENT TRENDS 1880s – 80% of Canadians farmed the land Today – less than 3% of Canadians farm WHY? CURRENT TRENDS Number of farms…. …decrease Number of workers… …decrease Average farm size… …increase NUMBER & SIZE OF FARMS IN CANADA, 1941 - 2001 AVERAGE HERD SIZE 1971- 2001 CURRENT COUNTER TRENDS Organic Farming Over the last six years (1999-2004), the number of certified organic producers has increased by around 70% and the number of acres under organic production has tripled. Source: Canadian Organic Growers Inc., Organic Statistics 2004, CANADA and The Canadian Organic Grower magazine, various issues. THE IMPACT OF ALL THESE CHANGES To be assessed… ….By your class! TASK: Search for headlines, stories, and images that reflect the changing nature of farming on the prairies and the social and economic implications for communities.