Senator Rob Black speaks to the Senate Oct. 6. He has launched an inquiry into land use in hopes of sparking a collaborative discussion across various government levels.

Rob Black raises land use concerns in Senate inquiry

The goal is to have a discussion on how Canada can address its housing crisis without sacrificing agriculture

Senator Rob Black is optimistic that his land use inquiry will spark discussion across Canada’s three levels of government. “Preserving our prime agricultural areas from growing urban development is essential,” Black said in the Senate on Oct. 6. Why it matters: Canadian provinces face the dilemma of how to preserve farmland as the country’s population […] Read more


Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (r) and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin arrive at a press conference after their meeting in Sochi on Sept. 4, 2023. (Photo: Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Turkish Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters)

Turkey’s Erdogan says Black Sea grain deal can be restored soon

UN seeks to bring Russia back into deal

Moscow | Reuters — Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said after talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Monday that it would soon be possible to revive the grain deal that the United Nations says helped to ease a food crisis by getting Ukrainian grain to market. Russia quit the deal in July — a year after […] Read more

Luke Dinan, shown here with his family, won first prize in the Northern Food Security Challenge.

Finding new, energy efficient ways to grow food in the North

Cochrane vegetable grower wins Northern Food Security Challenge with wood biomass heating system

Luke Dinan is passionate about improving food security in northern Ontario and his vision for how to grow more food locally has won the Cochrane, Ont., vegetable grower first prize in the Northern Food Security Challenge. Why it matters: The natural growing season in the north is short and the climate is cool, which limits […] Read more

Lack of labour and processing capacity is a long-term sustainability issue for the food and agriculture sectors.

Opinion: Meat processors key link in local food value chain

Labour shortages have long been a challenge for the meat processing sector. Not only does this create problems for meat processing businesses themselves, but it also makes it harder for farmers to access much-needed processing capacity for their livestock when animals are ready for market. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the skilled worker shortage, while driving […] Read more


Photo: Thinkstock

How El Niño threatens emerging market economies

Significant changes to rainfall, or prolonged droughts, could also impact hydropower output, boost food, fuel prices

London | Reuters – Countries around the world are battling heatwaves and floods fueled by El Niño, a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that has a 90 per cent probability of persisting in the second half of 2023, according to the World Meteorological Organization. The worldwide impact can be enormous, but the stakes are higher for […] Read more

Vessels are seen as they await inspection under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the UN and Turkey, in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus at Istanbul on Dec. 11, 2022. (File photo: Reuters/Yoruk Isik)

UN waits for Russian answer as Black Sea deal deadline looms

U.S. says Russia using grain deal 'as a weapon'

United Nations | Reuters — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is still waiting for a response from Russian President Vladimir Putin on a proposal to extend a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain beyond Monday, a U.N. spokesperson said on Friday. Guterres wrote to Putin on Tuesday asking him to extend the […] Read more

As Russia continues threatening to end the current grain deal — threats in of themselves being useful weapons for the regime — we ought to consider whether we’re ready to handle the market and political shocks if it does end.

Opinion: What happens when the grain deal fails?

Economic and political unrest abroad will affect Canadians

Russia is using food as a weapon of war, one designed to compel Ukraine and its allies to cave to Russian demands for the open export of its own grain and fertilizer, and subsequently, the import of great quantities of cash for the Russian war chest. While there is a UN-brokered deal for the continued […] Read more


A new report says there is evidence of risks from consuming animal-source food, but it distinguishes between processed and non-processed meat.

Editorial: Nutrition often the forgotten element in food security

It’s rare that an international report actually advocates for animal agriculture. Raising animals for food is often blamed as a cause of climate change and environmental degradation, and is viewed as cruel and unnecessary by some groups. The consumption of animal products is also accused of causing various human health concerns including heart disease, diabetes […] Read more

Liberia-flagged bulker K Sukret, carrying grain under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, waits for inspection in the southern anchorage of Istanbul on May 17, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Mehmet Emin Caliskan)

Black Sea grain deal extended for two months

Agreement has helped to tackle global food crisis

Ankara/United Nations | Reuters — The Ukraine Black Sea grain deal has been extended for two more months, one day before Russia could have quit the pact over obstacles to its grain and fertilizer exports. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced the extension in a televised speech and it was confirmed by Russia and Ukraine. The […] Read more