Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing holds National Symposium on Agricultural Mental Health

Mar 09, 2023

The Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing (CCAW) continues to gain support and build resources.

Yesterday, during the CCAW's first National Symposium on Agricultural Mental Health, Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced up to $168,440 to help the group spread awareness and multiply the resources available to the ag sector.

She says farmers have a very demanding job and deal with a lot of stress.

"Mental health issues are so often taboo in the sector, which is why initiatives like the ones created by the Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing are so essential to open the dialogue and, ultimately, save lives."

The CCAW was initially launched in November of 2022, and brings together national and global leaders in the agricultural mental health field to conduct research, develop programming and education related to the well-being of Canadian farmers.

The mission of the new not-for-profit organization is to lead research and roll out initiatives in collaboration with community organizations across the country to address farmers' wellness challenges.

Click here to see more...

Video: Democratizing Gene Editing - Pairwise’s Vision for the Future of Agriculture

Pairwise has built its business around an idea that runs counter to how many companies approach innovation: make transformative technology easier to access.

In this Seed World interview, CEO Tom Adams discusses why broader access to gene editing could speed crop improvement, expand innovation opportunities and help agriculture address emerging challenges. He explains why Pairwise believes no single company can solve all of agriculture's problems alone—and why making advanced breeding technologies available to more organizations could accelerate progress across the industry.

The conversation explores how consumer trust influences technology adoption, why innovations like pitless cherries and seedless blackberries matter beyond convenience, and how future crop improvements could help address labor shortages, automation, harvest efficiency and other production challenges. Adams also shares his perspective on what the industry may be underestimating about the next wave of gene editing innovation.

Watch the full interview to hear why Pairwise believes agriculture is approaching an important inflection point for gene editing, and why the pace of innovation over the next decade could surprise the industry.

Topics Covered:

o Democratizing agricultural innovation

o Consumer trust and technology adoption

o The business case for sharing innovation

o Expanding innovation beyond major crops

o Next-generation breeding technologies