At Calgary Stampede, Canada's diverse and sustainable agriculture on full display

Alberta -At the Calgary Stampede, an annual celebration of Canadian agriculture, North America Liaison Office Director Jocelyn Brown Hall met with officials from the Canadian government, agriculture industry experts and Indigenous community leaders. The strong relationship between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Canadian partners was evident, as were the sustainable agricultural practices promoted by the local, provincial and national governments and adopted by Canadian producers. 

From visits to the Westway and Wray Ranches to roundtable discussions with private sector leaders of the Canadian canola, grain, beef cattle, dairy and fertilizer industries, Ms. Brown Hall was able to speak directly to the stewards of sustainable and resilient agriculture in Canada. A priority for these experts is having their voices included in discussions on climate adaptation mitigation as it pertains to Canadian farmers and their counterparts around the world.  

Innovation in agriculture is a cross-cutting theme across the public and private sector in Canada. The Agricultural Climate Solutions Living Labs, launched in 2021 by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, is one example of the collaborative approach to innovation. At the Wray Ranch, Mr. Doug Wray explained how he collaborates with experts from local soil health Living Labs, utilizing soil mapping and sequestration data to inform sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices. 

At the Canadian Cattle Association’s Alberta Beef Summit, Brown Hall had the opportunity to meet Lawrence MacAuley, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, as well government officials from Alberta. In addition, Brown Hall held informal discussions with Members of Parliament (MPs) Kody Blois and John Barlow, the Chair and Deputy Chair of the House of Commons’ Agriculture Committee. Brown Hall discussed FAO’s mandate and the overall goal of transforming agrifood systems globally to be more sustainable, resilient and inclusive with the MPs. At the Elbow River Camp, a “Knowledge Keeper” and other First Nations leaders provided insight into the Indigenous knowledge, practices, and crops that were critical to their communities.   

Director Brown Hall attended the event in Alberta, Canada at the invitation of Senators Robert Black and Paula Simons, Chair and Deputy Chair respectively of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry Committee. Both Senators have worked closely with the North America Liaison Office in recent years to increase collaboration between FAO and Canada on topics such as gender equality in agrifood systems and soil health. The landmark Soil Health Study, published by the Agriculture and Forestry Committee, received significant support from FAO Land and Soils Division experts.  

Canada has a long-standing partnership with FAO, starting with the Organization’s founding in 1945 at Château Frontenac in Quebec. Since then, Canada has consistently been a top donor country and a reliable partner. In 2023, Canada’s contributed CAD 105 million to FAO programmes, including emergency and resilience activities in Ukraine, Gaza, and Lebanon; anticipatory actions in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Somalia; and projects for biodiversity, climate change adaptation and mitigation, gender equality, and nutrition.