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Tag Archives Food politics

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Comment: How well are farmers handling their pandemic fame?

Some efforts to reach out to consumers are proving controversial

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers often lament that as each generation becomes further removed from the farm, the ability of urbanites to understand and appreciate what it takes to grow food has declined. Even though agriculture is fundamental to the health, wealth and security of any nation, Canadian producers now make up less than two per cent of the […] Read more
If consumers don’t know what the word “agvocate” means, maybe it’s time to change it up with something more identifiable.
News

Comment: Should agriculture advocacy become activism?

The term ‘agvocate’ has made the agriculture sector feel good but probably doesn’t resonate with consumers

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Reading Time: 3 minutes “Activist — A person who campaigns to bring about political or social change.” “Activism — Consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct, or intervene in social, political, economic, or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society.” The word “activist” appears to be a word that has gone mainstream. There are human rights […] Read more
The launch event for the FAO/OECD Agricultural Outlook 2019-2028 was held recently at FAO headquarters in Rome.
Livestock, News

Swine fever in China among risks to food markets

World monitors of food say global demand will continue to increase

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Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters – The spread of a deadly pig disease in China that has disrupted the world’s biggest pork market is one of the major risks to a well-supplied global agricultural sector, the FAO and OECD said during a recent report. African swine fever was highlighted in the annual agricultural outlook for 2019-2028 from the Food […] Read more
Agricultural commodity prices are expected to remain low over the next decade because of ample supplies of oilseeds, grains, meat and other commodities.
News

Crop prices poised to stagnate: FAO

A new report says world oilseed demand isn’t expected to keep up with supply, which could result in lower prices

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – For the last five years, or longer, plant-based protein has been the shining star of global agriculture. Global demand for plant-based protein has exploded, thanks to massive Chinese imports of soybeans and booming public consumption of veggie burgers and other forms of plant protein. However, protein’s star could fade over the next […] Read more
News

Why won’t consumers listen?

Farmers have been trying to engage consumers for years — yet the work has had little impact

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Reading Time: 6 minutes It happens at farm meetings across Canada. Speakers use words like “engagement” and then talk about how farmers can use Twitter and Facebook to influence people. This has been happening for years at agricultural conferences across Canada. Because of all those presentations, thousands of producers now use social media to connect with consumers and explain […] Read more
Agriculture leaders, experts, government officials, farmers and academics recently gathered in Gatineau, Que., for a two-day conference to talk about public trust.
News

Public trust in agriculture declines

A yearly study found that trust declined for the first time in several years

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Consumers are taking a dimmer view of the Canadian food system, according to an organization set up to improve the perceptions of Canada’s food industry. The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity found in a large-scale study of adult Canadians, that 36 per cent of consumers felt the food system was headed in the right direction, […] Read more
Jack Bobo has communicated to the public about agriculture technology from within government and industry.
News

Sorting through science and food messaging

The challenges agriculture has in the acceptance of new technology by the public is a function of resistance to change

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Reading Time: 3 minutes In many ways this is the best time in history for the production and safety of food. There are fewer greenhouse gases produced per bushel of corn, with significantly less erosion and half the water of 30 years ago, says Jack Bobo, vice-president of global policy and government affairs for Intrexon, the company that owns […] Read more
News

Opinion: Creating a base for trust isn’t easy

Capital Letters with Kelsey Johnson of iPolitics

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Last week agriculture leaders, experts, government officials, farmers and academics gathered in Gatineau, Que., for a two-day conference to talk about public trust. It’s a hot topic, a reality quickly confirmed by the full house it attracted. But what does public trust actually mean? In broad terms, public trust is the idea that a person […] Read more

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