By Chris Hedges

Canadian agriculture is at a pivotal point. Food security and national security are more closely connected than they have been in decades. Global trade relationships are shifting, geopolitical uncertainty continues and extreme weather is putting increasing pressure on food production around the world.

We’ve seen wildfires and other extreme weather events disrupt agriculture across North America, while excessive heat and drought are challenging farmers in Europe and elsewhere. Here at home, growers continue to manage unpredictable weather alongside rising costs, labour challenges, market pressures and growing competition from imports as well as support programs for growers in the U.S.

Against that backdrop, governments are paying more attention to the importance of domestic food production. Earlier this summer, the federal government launched its National Food Security Strategy, with a focus on producing and processing more food in Canada, strengthening our food system and reducing our vulnerability to disruptions beyond our borders.

At the same time, federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers are working toward the next agricultural policy framework, which will replace the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership in 2028.

In July 2026, ministers released the Halifax Statement outlining their vision and priorities for that framework. Competitiveness and economic growth, trade, research and innovation, and resilience are all central themes, including a commitment to continue improving Business Risk Management programs.

For fruit and vegetable growers, these are encouraging signals, but they also make the next couple of years particularly important for advocacy. Decisions are going to be made about where governments invest, how programs are designed and what role agriculture will play in Canada’s broader economic and food security priorities. We need to make sure horticulture is part of those conversations and that decision makers understand what our sector needs to remain competitive and continue producing food.

To do that effectively, we need more than good arguments – we also need good data.

That’s why the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA) will be shortly undertaking a new research project that will strengthen our understanding of the economic realities facing Ontario fruit and vegetable growers.

Reliable economic information is one of the most important tools we can bring to government discussions. We need to be able to clearly demonstrate what is happening with production costs, farm returns and competitiveness, and how those trends affect growers’ ability to invest in their businesses.

Good data also helps us move the conversation beyond individual examples.

We all know growers who are questioning whether to expand, replace aging infrastructure or equipment, or even continue producing certain crops. Those experiences matter, but when we sit down with government officials to advocate for changes to programs or policies, we also need credible information that shows whether those experiences reflect broader trends across the sector.

That is particularly important for our Safety Nets committee. Business Risk Management programs are designed to help farmers manage risks beyond their control. To make the case for improvements, we need to understand whether existing programs are responding to the risks growers actually face and where the gaps are.

The same applies to broader discussions about competitiveness. If governments want Canada to produce more of its own food, we need to understand what it will take for growers to make the investments needed to do that.

This research will help give OFVGA a stronger evidence base for those discussions.

There is a lot happening in agriculture policy right now, and there is a growing recognition that domestic food production matters not just to farmers, but to Canada’s economy, resilience and security.

That creates opportunity, but it also means we have work to do. Strong advocacy starts with knowing what we need, being able to explain why it matters and having credible evidence to back it up. As governments make decisions that will shape agriculture for years to come, making sure horticulture has that evidence will be an important part of securing our sector’s future.