As climate change continues to disrupt Canada’s agricultural stability, Genome British Columbia (Genome BC) is funding research collaborations. 

“Pairing genomic tools with grower and sector insights cuts years off the timeline to climate-ready crops,” says Dr. Federica Di Palma, Genome BC’s chief scientific officer and vice president, Research and Innovation. “These projects will strengthen local food security and ensure a more resilient economy for British Columbia.” 

One of these projects is breeding cherries, a stone fruit that British Columbia specializes in. In 2024, the country exported more than 1,000 metric tons of cherries, valued at more than $12 million, with 95 per cent grown in British Columbia. However, recent production declines due to extreme weather events are seriously impacting the industry.  

A solution is to breed new cherry varieties with stable production under the shifting environmental pressures in the region. Traditional methods of cultivation, however, can take up to 30 years, a timeline that is simply too slow for today’s climate reality.  

A collaboration between Dr. Letitia Da Ros, a genomics research scientist from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), and Erin Wallich, an intellectual property manager from Summerland Varieties Corp. is using genomics to dramatically shorten this timeframe.  

The team at AAFC will validate new genomic technologies that can induce early flowering and shorten the decades-long breeding process. They believe that this can lead to greater access to new varieties that can adapt to a rapidly changing climate.  

“We are hoping for new varieties bred to handle regional stress, even during temperature extremes,” states Dr. Da Ros, the project’s lead researcher, “while also working toward staggered fruit production to ensure cherries are available throughout the growing season.” 

Wallich brings expertise in commercialization to the table. “Currently, 36 cherry varieties grown worldwide are Canadian Intellectual Property, generating millions of dollars in royalties each year. These revenues are reinvested into new technologies, variety development and commercialization efforts that help to maintain BC’s competitive edge globally.”  

Source:  Genome British Columbia February 24, 2026 news release