Four-in-five Canadians remain confident in the domestic agricultural industry's ability to keep up with the demand

Canadian farmers are integral to both the local and global food supply and have been facing a wealth of challenges in recent years from an impending recession that is impacting food prices to climate change and extreme weather events, global conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, and supply chain disruptions. Despite these challenges, Canadian farmers persevere, and a new survey shows consumers remain confident in their ability to weather the storm. According to the 2022 Perceptions of Canadian Agriculture Survey, released today by Climate FieldView and conducted among members of the online Angus Reid Forum, the vast majority (98 per cent) of Canadians recognize the country's farmers importance to domestic food security, and four-in-five Canadians say they are confident in their ability to continue meeting domestic food demand.

 According to the national survey, when Canadians were asked about the extreme weather events that occurred in the past year, 62 per cent say they have an increased appreciation for Canadian agriculture. This growth in appreciation is particularly evident when looking at regions such as BC, where 76 per cent noted an increase in appreciation after major flooding events impacted key agricultural regions of the province in 2021. Similarly, the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI) who recently released their 2022 public trust research report, also determined that environmental issues are top of mind for Canadians as one of the greatest threats to Canada's food system alongside inflation and labour shortages.