Lack of co-operation hurts ag research
Canada’s agricultural research effort has been hurt by a decline in co-operation between federal and provincial governments and with universities, says a senior university research director.
The result has been a challenge to Canada’s ability to compete and innovate.
Richard Moccia, associate vice-president for research at the University of Guelph, told members of the Senate agriculture committee studying research performance that some links have eroded over the years and research has suffered.
He said robust results from research are necessary to keep agriculture a key player in the Canadian economy and to renew its potential.
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“I see this as a significant industry for Canada that increasingly falls below the radar of the common citizen of Canada, 90 percent of whom live in urban centres now, and we need to reposition the importance of agri-food and what it contributes to Canada’s economy, job creation and the opportunity for global competitiveness with new technology,” he told the committee during a recent appearance.
“We have been a world leader and we need to regain our international prominence in agri-food technology.”
Moccia said there has been a de-cline in contact between government and university researchers who often worked together in the past but now typically do not.
He said the same gap exists in planning investment in research facilities.
“If you have been in the agri-food industry in academics for more than 20 years or so, you will know that we have had a serious deterioration of our infrastructure over time,” he said.
There is an “unprecedented need” to reinvest in research infrastructure, which requires collaboration between all players in the system, he added.
Moccia also said there must be more federal-provincial collaboration in setting research priorities that will factor into a national system.
Financing of research has been declining so smart priority setting is all the more important, he said.
Moccia also said more attention should be paid to the connection between agricultural research and public health.
