Canadian politicians could re-learn a few lessons from China
about how best to help farmers.
The Chinese government released a cabinet document this week
which reveals that the politicians there intend to boost spending on research
and development, and to do it faster than the growth of tax revenues. In other words, agricultural research and development is a national priority.
The contrast with Canada is startling.
Here Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty recently announced he's eliminating a
$60-million research program.
The federal agriculture department has reduced its agricultural research branch from running the nation's largest research program, and one of the best in the world, to a struggling and declining shell of its former self.
The bright hopes for biotechnology have been almost totally unrealized - for example, fusarium-resistant wheats and corn hybrids, trans-genetic chickens able to lay eggs containing high-value medicinal substances, beef feedlots, hog barns, sheep flocks and dairy herds of genetically-identical cloned animals that would simplify farm management and greatly improve the consistency of food quality.
Politicians thought they could off-load research and development to the private sector, so Canada now has one of the world's most generous tax regimes for research and development. The track record speaks volumes about the failure of this approach.
Our universities, such as the University of Guelph, used to
be world leaders in agricultural research. Today they're mediocre at best and continuing to decline while others, especially China, forge into the lead.
While Canadians dither and delay the adoption of new
technologies, such as genetic engineering of plants, animals and poultry, China
is embracing advances. Little wonder that Third World countries are turning away from North America and Europe and embracing Chinese research.
It’s time for agriculture ministers and deputy ministers to
concede that the agricultural research and development budgets and policies of
the past two decades have been a failure, and to start serious discussions
about how Canada might recapture its long-lost lead.
I think that means a return to government leadership in
hiring and equipping the staff required to undertake basic research. It also
means closing most of the federal government’s rural research stations so the
money can be consolidated in staffing and equipping a handful of centres, ideally paired with universities so a new generation of researchers can gain knowledge, training, experience and some income.
Farmers ought to step up to organize and fund some of the
straight-forward applied research, such as practical trials of new technologies
and products. It’s shameful that so many of our university resources are tied
up in these trials.
If farmers, rather than academics and corporations, run the
trials, I think there’s a greater likelihood that there would be more rapid
adoption of products and technologies that work.
Continuing with the current policies and approaches will ensure that China and
others will take our markets and leave Canadian farmers optimism focused on
retirement.
I think - and I hope - that Canadians are smart enough and bold enough to make the necessary changes.
