Dr. Bill Deen presents the 2013 "Green Paper", the research paper that the Alberta Institute of Agrologists funds annually on emergent agricultural issues. First issue: only 7% of Canada is agricultural land and only 5% is dependable agricultural land (Class 1, 2, 3). Dr. Deen then reviews the Canadian trends in agricultural land-use and production. Canadian consumers have seen a steadily reducing proportion of their budget spent on food. The question Dr. Deen asks is whether low food prices, increased yields, food safety and environmental protection are sustainable in the future?
Dr. Bill Deen is an associate professor in the Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. His keynote presentation was part of the Alberta Institute of Agrologists' Banff Conference, March 26-28, 2013.
