1. Importance of Agriculture to Canada

2. Tragedy of the Commons
Definition: When individuals, acting independently and rationally, will deplete a shared resource, even when doing so is not in their best interest.
When something is shared you do not think about managing it near as much as if it was your own.

3. Crop and animal production contribute 1
Crop and animal production contribute 1.4% to Canada’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
$25.4 billion
About 20% of jobs are related to the agricultural sector of the economy (growers, transportation, processing, selling, etc)

4. 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
Also include fruit and vegetables

5. Canada’s Agricultural Resource
There are five major agricultural production sectors in Canada. They are…..
grains & oilseeds (wheat, oats, rye, flax seed, canola, soybeans, and corn ) 34%
red meats (beef, hog, veal, lamb) 27%
dairy 12 %
horticulture 9%
poultry and eggs 8%

6. Top 5 Wheat Export Markets

7. Fruit Export Destinations

8. Food today is relatively inexpensive compared to 60 years ago.
In the 1950s Canadians spent about 25% of their income on food
Today, they spend only 11% (including meals out)

9. Land: The Basic Resource
Land can be classed as a “renewable resource” or non renewable, depending on how its being used.

10. 1970’s: Canada’s land classified into 7 categories
Based on how productive or “rich” land is.
According to CLI (Canadian land index) only 13% of Canada’s land mass (Classes 1 - 6) is suitable for agriculture

13. Disappearing Farmland
“On a clear day, you can see most of the best farmland in Ontario from the top of the CN Tower. On a quiet day, you can almost hear that land being paved over.”
Basic Facts
37% of Class 1 land in Canada is within view of the CN Tower.
20% of Class 2 land in Canada is within view of the CN Tower.
43% of the value of agricultural production in Canada lies within 80 kilometres of 22 different cities.

15. Southern Ontario Land Classification

16. Disappearing Farmland
How many farms in this rural concession are untouched by the new highway?
If each farm is 100 acres in size, what percentage or fraction of Farm “A” is used up for the highway construction? How much of Farm “I” is used up for the highway?