Canada losing farmland to development as rental costs squeeze farmers

Canada’s dwindling farmland base and rising rental costs threaten the country’s agricultural sustainability, researchers warn

Canada’s agricultural sector faces mounting pressure as the country continues to lose farmland to urban development, while some existing acres sit vacant.

That’s according to new research released by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute.

Only about seven per cent of Canada’s land mass is used for agriculture, making preservation of existing farmland critical to the sector’s future, said Tyler McCann, managing director of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI).

“For the purpose of this paper and this research, it comes from the acknowledgement that actively used farmland in Canada is decreasing, and there is a need to address this,” said Courtney Ander