AAC 2050 Committee

Envisioning the future of agriculture and food in Ontario

A vibrant, innovative and sustainable agriculture and food industry benefits all Ontarians. But, like all sectors of our economy, agriculture and food must meet the challenges of a world that is changing ever more rapidly.

Shifts in demographics and labour markets, advances in technology, competing priorities for land use, changes in business models and the climate – these and other factors will greatly impact how crops are grown and animals are raised, processed and distributed in our province and nationally.

As an industry-led not-for-profit organization with in-depth knowledge of the agriculture and food value chain, the Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC) has established the AAC 2050 Committee to help Ontario’s agri-food sector anticipate and meet the challenges it will face in the coming decades.

Our Mission

The mission of the AAC 2050 Committee is to ensure that the Ontario agriculture and food value chain is positioned to successfully adapt to and thrive in a rapidly evolving future. To this end, the 2050 Committee will conduct activities in the following areas:

Catalyze and convene – Engage a diverse, collaborative network to spark industry-wide dialogues.

Learn and share – Establish a baseline of understanding about the future of the Ontario agriculture and food industry and support ongoing mechanisms for knowledge sharing and dissemination.

Implement and act – Help to guide policy and programming to ensure a robust future for the Ontario agriculture and food industry.

Collaboration, Innovation and Solutions

Leveraging the core competencies and expertise of AAC will be essential to carrying out our mandate:

Collaboration – We will foster non-partisan collaboration across the full value chain, from primary production to retail and, ultimately, consumers. We will create a space where diverse stakeholders and ideas can come together in support of a resilient and vibrant future.

Innovation – We will draw on AAC’s comprehensive understanding of the research and development ecosystem in Ontario’s agriculture and food industry to identify areas of opportunity and support advances in these fields.

Solutions – We will provide pragmatic solutions for Ontario’s agri-food industry through program delivery for provincial and federal governments.

AAC 2050 Committee Members, 2024

Ruth Knight (Chair)

Mark Wales

Joost van der Heiden

Rene Van Acker

Deb Stark

Sara Wood

Peggy Brekveld

Contact the AAC 2050 Committee at: 2050@adaptcouncil.org