Ontario’s agri-food sector is a key contributor to the province’s economy, environment and food security supported by strong engagement and collaboration across industry, government, academia and society as a whole. Stakeholders are guided by a shared long-term vision for sustainability, innovation, and food access and affordability. The widespread adoption of advanced technologies – such as automation, AI, cellular agriculture, vertical farming and genomics – reduce impacts on land and resources while enhancing food production, enabling the sector to meet global food demands and mitigate the worst climate impacts. Data is captured and shared across the supply chain, ensuring transparency and fair value distribution.

Through proactive leadership, the sector has developed a supportive business ecosystem that increases food production and access through environmentally and economically sustainable means. Education and mentorship programs attract and equip a skilled workforce for the evolving sector, and substantial investments in research and the commercialization of Canadian intellectual property enable the rapid transition of research into practical solutions. Ontario’s agricultural policies and regulatory system foster global competitiveness, stabilize farming through effective risk management and create opportunities for innovation. A holistic approach to policy and regulation, incorporating balanced evaluation metrics, ensures access to land and water, environmental stewardship, climate resilience and economic prosperity.

Having followed a path similar to the one we were on in 2025, Ontario’s agri-food sector has seen some advances but continues to face challenges to adaptation and has left some opportunities for growth unrealized. Collaboration across government, industry, and academia has improved, but coordination remains fragmented on critical issues such as research priorities, disease and pest preparedness, data capture and sharing, and support for de-risking innovation. Automation, AI and other new approaches have enhanced productivity but not enough to make up for the labour shortages that persist despite efforts to attract young, skilled personnel. While many large companies continue to innovate, the sector has not reached its potential for increasing the  production of and access to food. High costs remain a barrier to the adoption of new technologies by SMEs, and rising insurance costs and capital access barriers discourage many new entrants to farming.

As the effects of climate change have intensified, the agri-food value chain has adapted, but the pace of change has not been rapid enough to fully meet demands and prevent food inflation and insecurity from increasing. As a result, public trust has eroded. Policies and regulations have evolved incrementally, but the necessary systemic changes to boost global competitiveness and adequately address climate impacts has been slow. Some companies are succeeding in innovating, adapting, and mitigating the worst climate impacts to maintain food production, but the sector as a whole is struggling to do more with fewer resources in order to sustain long-term food security.

Ontario’s agri-food sector and populace are in crisis as a result of declining food production, spiraling costs, and widespread food insecurity. Poor public engagement, inadequate investment and resources, and a failure by government to implement forward-looking policy initiatives has inhibited innovation and left the sector unable to adequately address numerous escalating challenges. The inability to successfully adapt to climate change has eroded agricultural output, and anti-microbial resistance has increased disease outbreaks, crop failures and livestock losses. As the rural–urban divide grows, agriculture is seen as a source of many of society’s problems, rather than a solution.

With a lack of and supportive policy and programs, agri-food has had to fend for itself. But in the absence of strong leadership and a collaborative culture, the sector is experiencing a severe decline in innovation and competitiveness. Trade barriers, regulatory inefficiencies and global instability hinder exports, leaving Ontario unable to secure outside investment. An ongoing inability to attract skilled personnel exacerbates labour shortages throughout agriculture and agri-food. Farming is experiencing high levels of attrition due to mounting financial challenges, including inaccessible insurance and soaring water costs. These factors have led the sector to become highly concentrated in the hands of a few large corporations. The lack of investment, supportive land use policy, and leadership with a holistic vision has left Ontario dependent on imports, with no clear path to recovery.