In its report, "Innovation in Agriculture: The Key to Feeding a Growing Population," the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry has outlined 19 recommendations for improving the competitive advantage of the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector.

Committee chair Percy Mockler notes the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector accounts for one in eight jobs representing 2.1 million people.

Percy Mockler-Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry

When you look at the Canadian agricultural and agri-food sector we are confronted with such issues as societal change, consumer demands on food, global population growth, an aging farming population, access to limited natural resources, climate change, economic issues related to grain prices, exchange rates and increased competition internationally.

This report I believe, the innovation side of agriculture can result from the transformation of knowledge, sharing best practices, best new ideas and to transfer technology and to share.

It's not about creating a competition within our own country but it is to have an equal footing with harmonized regulations, look at harmonizing the way we do things and that we can, at the end of the day, eliminate barriers so that the Canadian farmer, the agricultural sector in Canada will compete on a fair level playing field.

For more information or to access the report visit the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry web site at parl.gc.ca.