Canadian agriculture needs better risk management education: FMC report

Ottawa, Ont. (Rural Roots Canada) – Canadian farmers are facing an increasingly complicated risk environment, but many aren’t getting the information they need to manage those risks effectively, a new report says.

The report from Farm Management Canada (FMC) calls for a National Strategy for Education and Communication on Agricultural Risk Management, arguing that better communication and education should be treated as a core part of Canada’s agricultural risk-management system.

“Canadian agriculture operates in an increasingly complex risk environment defined by climate volatility, geopolitical instability, policy uncertainty, financial pressures, labour shortages, and rapid technological change,” it says.

Governments have responded largely through Business Risk Management programs, along with provincial insurance and stabilization tools. A range of educational resources, advisory services and on-farm management tools are also available.

Read more: Agriculture ministers set priorities for Canada’s next policy framework

But the report says information about those tools is fragmented, unevenly distributed and often difficult for farmers and their advisers to turn into practical business decisions.

It also points to uncertainty about the overall purpose and intended outcomes of Canada’s risk-management programs, as well as an uneven distribution of public and private tools across regions and production sectors.

The result, the report says, leaves many producers “unaware, misinformed about or skeptical of the risk management programs and tools available, and underutilize proactive risk management practices that are proven to improve producer resilience, profitability, and wellbeing.”

The report argues that without a coordinated national approach to risk-management education and communication, investments in agricultural programs, policy reform and innovation will continue to produce less-than-optimal results on farms.

You can read the full report at this link.

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