Importance of Agriculture to Canada

Crop and animal production contribute 1 Crop and animal production contribute 1.4% to Canada’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) About 20% of jobs are related to the agricultural sector of the economy (growers, transportation, processing, selling, etc)

Agricultural products play an important role in trade with other countries Canada has a large surplus in agricultural trade Most surplus is from grains and vegetable oil products from the prairies

Canadians rely on the production of food that is relatively inexpensive (after all costs are added) In the 1950s Canadians spent about 25% of their income on food Today, they spend only 11% (including meals out) Problems may cause the cost of food to rise in the future

Land: The Basic Resource Land can be classed as a “renewable resource” if it is used properly Land can also be classed as a “non-renewable resource” because there is a limited amount of it available, especially land suitable for farming If the land is seriously damaged due to bad farming practices, urban sprawl

1960s and 1970s the Canada Land Inventory (CLI) divided land into 7 classes based on agricultural suitability According to CLI only 13% of Canada’s land mass (Classes 1 - 6) is suitable for agriculture