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Canadians are combatting rising food costs with home gardening

As Canadians find themselves grappling with the ever-increasing price tags on their grocery bills, a remarkable trend is sprouting across the nation.

The cost of food has become a prevalent concern for Canadians over the past five years, with no signs of abating in 2022, according to research from The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity. Last year alone, a staggering 69% of Canadians were troubled by the rising cost of food, while 56% fretted over the affordability of wholesome nourishment.

However, an inspiring response to this predicament has emerged—a green revolution is taking root as more individuals turn to the age-old art of gardening to combat these escalating prices. A recent study conducted by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University unveiled that one in every five Canadians has taken up the rewarding endeavour of cultivating their own food at home within the past three years.

"Canadians have weathered financial strains in recent times, with skyrocketing food prices leading the way. Consequently, an increasing number of people are seeking solace in growing their own food at home," explains Paul Lefebvre, the new product development manager at Premier Tech Home & Garden—a renowned Canadian manufacturer and marketer of consumer lawn and garden products.

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Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday



Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.