As we reflect on the year gone by, and dare peek into the year ahead, it can be difficult to determine upcoming trends or directions. One thing which I think is becoming increasingly clear is the importance related to food and climate change.
Increasingly important are also reputable sources of information on food security and agricultural issues. As we round the bend headed into 2025, this final column of 2024 provides a glimpse into some of the dependable resources that showcase upcoming issues we should keep in mind.
CBAN – the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network
Count on CBAN – the Canadian Biotechnlogy Action Network, to continue throughout 2025 to be on the forefront of alerting the public to all things related to genetically modified seeds and foods. CBAN alerts have provided lots of grist for my columns in the past, and have helped to chronicle successful campaigns against GMO wheat, tomatoes, salmon and more. This coalition of organizations from across Canada is also the bell weather for upcoming food security issues. The latest alert from CBAN has us double-checking what our “greens” might be made of in 2025. You can read more about the latest incursion of a gene edited vegetable brought to you by none other than Bayer — (formerly knows Monsanto).
COG – Canadian Organic Growers
The Canadian Organic Growers is an excellent resource for updates on organic farming, sustainability, and food security issues. Through its newsletters COG provides information for both organic farmers and champions of the organic food production movement. Stay connected with webinars, seed saving initiatives, news reports, and more via the COG website.
The ETC Group
This organization is yet another trailblazer when it comes to informing about next-level issues related to biodiversity, technology, and sustainability. In many cases, because the researchers in this group are so far advanced in monitoring trends, some of the fact sheets and reports have the feel of science fiction. But make no mistake, whatever the ETC Group reports on is already reality, both here at home and around the world. The web content, reports, and podcasts provided by ETC Group are harbingers of the near-future.
The Group’s website states: ‘ETC Group monitors the impact of emerging technologies and corporate strategies on biodiversity, agriculture and human rights.’ The ETC Group is definitely worth following throughout 2025!
Food Secure Canada
This is yet another national organization which is working to provide information and systems change when it comes to food security and food sovereignty. For more than 20 years Food Secure Canada has been initiating conversations related to the quality and affordability of food, the right to healthy food, and has also long supported initiatives such as the national school food program. Food Secure Canada works with First Nations and settler communities across Canada to promote sustainable food systems and to advocate for policy changes that will encourage access to affordable, healthy food, within a sustainable food production system. There are several reports and information sheets on its website. I am looking forward to hearing more from this organization in 2025.
Farmers for Climate Solutions
This innovative coalition is farmer and rancher led and focuses on climate change solutions that are practical and can be adapted to most agricultural operations in Canada. The research and practical guides that Farmers for Climate Solutions provide show that there are in-field methods to help mitigate climate change.
As noted on its website: “We develop and advocate for policies that better support the adoption of low emission, high resilience approaches in agriculture. We employ a farmer-led task force model, where farmers, climate scientists, agricultural economists, and other experts work together to advance science-based policy proposals that are grounded in on-farm experience.”
Farmers for Climate solutions has also created a mentorship program through which valuable on-farm practices can be applied. FaRM-the Farm Resilience Mentorship Program is a farmer-to-farmer learning hub. This and more is explained in detail on the website.
Just Food
If you live in the Ottawa area, you likely already know the treasure trove of information provided by this small but mighty non-profit organization. As noted on its website: “Just Food is a local, non-profit, community-based organization that works on both rural and urban food and farming issues in Ottawa and the surrounding region.”
I have watched this organization grow over more than two decades. It now works with growers and consumers on bridging initiatives such as Savour Ottawa, provides a community garden space, as well as the opportunity for learning provided through its incubator farm projects, and also provides local food markets throughout the year. Nestled on a parcel of land rented for the long-term from the National Capital Region, Just Food provides information on buying local, on community gardens and greenhouses, seed initiatives, farm start-ups, food strategies and more generally.
I would wish for one of these initiatives for every urban community in Canada.
The National Farmers Foundation
Last but not least is the National Farmers Foundation (NFF), a charitable organization dedicated to supporting “research and education to drive policies and decisions that deliver social and economic justice for farmers, eaters, and the earth. Among the current priority areas are farmland ownership and control, climate change and seed sovereignty.”
The NFF provides important research and educational programs that support young farmers, as well as anyone interested in learning more about food sovereignty and food security. It has a series of webinars available from its website on cooperative land trusts as well as regenerative agriculture and has supported special projects focused on its mandate. The NFF works in partnership with the National Farmers Union and is administered by a volunteer board of directors. It has just released its 2023-2024 Annual Report.
These are but a few of the food-focused organizations that should help to keep us all informed heading into 2025. There are many more, but this I think is a good start to the new year!
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