Agriculture in Canada

Today’s Lesson 1.“What is a farm?” - drawing 2.Farming in Canada 3.Agribusiness and the future of agriculture 4.The Meatrix - video 5.Sustainable agriculture – group work

1. What is a farm? Take the next few minutes and draw what you think of when you think of a Canadian Farm. Include things, such as: –Animals –Plants –People –Machinery / tools

2. Agriculture in Canada Canadians have a relatively reliable supply of food. The agriculture industry contributes 1.4% to Canada’s GDP. However, when we account for all the people involved in the: –growing, –processing, Nearly 20% of –transportation and jobs in Canada are –selling of foodrelated to Agriculture

3. Agribusiness and the future of agriculture In 1867, about 82% of Canadians lived in rural areas. Today, more than 80% of Canadians live in urban areas. (see next slide) In the past, it took a lot of human power to operate a farm, now, with increased mechanization, it takes only 1 or 2 people to do the same work. The future is agribusiness: agricultural business; taking business practices and applying them to farming.

Benefits of Agribusiness Increased productivity Fewer workers = more profits Efficient use of land Creates a highly stable industry

Drawbacks to Agribusiness Below the video, 4 topics pop up in green, what are they? 1) Animal _______ 2) _____ ________ _____ 3) _______ _________ 4) ________ ________

Sustainable Agriculture If land is over exploited it can become useless. Such as: 1.Proper cultivation practices: no mono cultures. 2.Pest control techniques that do not use chemicals. (Genetically Modified Foods) 3.Organic farming: produces a product free of preservatives and unnatural growing techniques. Around the world, farmers are switching to sustainable farming techniques. Mono cultures: areas with only one species.

Other issues facing Canadian agriculture In groups of two, take a moment to read about the issues on the handout. Design an informational poster, on coloured paper, about one of the below topics. –Loss of farmland –Decline of the family farm –Sustainable agriculture –Organic farming –BSE (Mad Cow Disease) –Genetically Modified Organisms. Things to include: - A viewpoint Images of the topic (a dying farm) -The main points outlined