Dryer summers and wetter springs mean farmers face too much water sometimes, not enough at others. Last winter’s cold snap killed Okanagan peach and apricot buds, which will curtail the yield this year. Record wildfire seasons and floods are threatening pasture and farmland.

Add to these natural disasters the pressure on agriculture to protect the environment, use resources efficiently, reduce the use of nitrogen, grow more locally, support farmers and keep food affordable.

Then add in the fact that by 2030, just six years from now, we’re going to need to produce 50% more food, use 45% more energy and 30% more water.

These challenges are contributing to rising grocery prices, which in Canada have jumped more than 21 per cent since April of 2021.

Yet, there is good news too. Food inflation has slowed, prices rose a more modest 1.4 per cent between last April and this April. Numerous companies are pursuing promising innovations – vertical farming and new techniques supporting soil health and environmental stewardship, more local processing and production, new export markets, new approaches in greenhouses.

So the question is – can we continue to grow the food we need to nourish ourselves, and eight billion people around the world? When we do, can we afford it?

Join us for the conversation – 7 p.m. June 18.

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