Research from the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI) shows that people want to know about how food is grown in Canada. More to the point, they want to hear about it right from the source: farmers. Those on the land are the most preferred source of food production information, surpassing any other group.

That’s a huge vote of confidence.

But it’s also a lot of pressure. There are almost 38 million Canadians….and about 193,000 farmers. That’s a tonne of people with questions, but comparatively speaking, not that many with answers.

Yet some in the industry think 193,000 voices is too many. Speak with one voice, they say. I think they mean speak with one opinion on policy issues; they believe too many opinions emanating from the farm community are confusing. That’s especially true if the audience is decision makers who don’t really understand agriculture, but are making policies that impact a wide range of commodities.

The question of who will rise up nationally to explain farming practices to the public has been asked many times and for many years, but seldom answered.

Now, a couple of initiatives are underway, or pending, that makes it look like Ottawa is following the lead of grassroots efforts such as Canada’s Food Day in August, and stepping to the plate.  

First, momentum is gaining for Canada’s Agriculture Day, a national celebration intended to put the spotlight on agriculture and food production. This event, now in its fourth year, is strategically held in February to remind everyone that agriculture is a year-round pursuit.

This year the organizers, Ag More Than Ever (another national effort), staged a campaign called “Forks Up,” asking participants to post a selfie of themselves with some Canadian food on their forks. It was a good use of social media and the ongoing drive to reach a wide audience.

But the big dog’s still on the horizon.

Over the next five years, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is planning to spend about $25 million on a campaign to promote Canadian food and agriculture. No one knows much about it yet. A few weeks ago, AAFC announced it was seeking a marketing firm that could carry out such a national campaign. It won’t have any trouble finding one; this is a huge opportunity for one of Canada’s many superb agri-marketing companies to throw their hat in the ring, and their knowledge of agriculture. The goal is to help build consumer confidence and pride in Canadians who farm and fish and highlight the advantages of buying the food they produce.

Reaction to the campaign’s announcement has been, well, muted. Some are concerned that it could confuse consumers, because provinces also promote local food.

I don’t share those concerns. The national campaign will likely be a best-of-the-best. Food and agriculture is regional, so whatever the national campaign sets out to do, it will need to coordinate some measure of content with the provinces anyway. In fact, it could easily make the provincial efforts stronger, by reinforcing what they’re saying and doing about agriculture and food in their jurisdictions.

This is not the time to fight about territory. The agriculture and food sector is way, way behind the curve right now. The CCFI research also showed most Canadians – more than 90 per cent -- know little, if anything about agriculture and about how food is produced. That kind of a statistic promotes anxiety about our food system, not trust. And there are so many good reasons to have trust in Canadian food. That’s one of the messages I hope is communicated in the national campaign.

To me, the main thing is that something is finally being done on the national stage to explain farming. Someone’s taking the lead. The federal election showed us Ottawa has a long way to go before it gains the confidence of producers. But at least, on the consumer awareness front, it’s taking a new step.