THE LAST WORD
By Murray McLaughlin
Canadian Agriculture,
a driving force for the healthy bioeconomy
Murray McLaughlin, Bioindustrial Innovation Centre
Canada is blessed with abundant biomass when we look at forestry and agriculture. Farmers, being an entrepreneurial lot, are constantly looking at how they can create more value at the farm gate. In the past this has been done with improved varieties, agronomic practices and marketing, where as in the future the efficiencies will be based on improved management, innovation and new market opportunities, such as biomass. A few things that agriculture will need to consider as we move forward in this 21st century: • FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) projects that a 70 per cent increase in food production will be needed by 2050. • In 1995, about 1.8 million people were living in areas experiencing severe water stress. By 2025, it is projected that 5.5 billion people (about two-thirds of the global population) will live in areas facing severe to moderate water stress. • In 2005, approximately 1.5 billion adults were overweight, 400 million were considered obese. By 2015, the World Health Organization projects that the numbers will be 2.3 billion overweight and 700 million obese. • Greenhouse gas emissions are the largest and fastest growing component of the global economy’s ‘ecological footprint’ - something agriculture can help get under control by better overall use of our cropping practises. The challenge, reducing GHG’s (greenhouse) while the global economy is set to triple by 2050. All of these things lead to a need for an innovation group - farmers - to step up and show they are up to the challenge of creating a better future through a consistent vision for the sector. A vision developed in 2004 for agriculture, is still on tract today. It is: “In the year 2018 Canada is a world leader in the enhancement of human, animal and environment health through the application of research, technology, and social innovation in agriculture and the bioscience industry. As a solution provider to society, we reduce the burgeoning health deficit, improve quality of life, and embrace environmental sustainability. We are the trusted standard against which others measure themselves.” To bring it down to one line, “Agriculture is the
30 BIOTECHNOLOGY FOCUS July/August 2013
fundamental pillar for a healthy Canada and world.” When we look at the challenge, it is nutrition; it is water; it is maximizing use of our crops (both food and biomass); it is keeping our environment healthy; and it is about managing the carbon molecule to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by building a biobased products sector. All this and more will lead to a healthy future on a global scale. At the Bioindustrial Innovation Centre we work closely with the chemical industry, biomaterials sector and farmers to build a strong bioeconomy in Canada. Essentially, building a partnership from biomass production to the end product, and creating a hybrid ecosystem. Over the past year I have attended conferences in Europe, South America, U.S., Malaysia and Canada all focused on utilization of biomass to build a future with a “Hybrid Ecosystem,” and the convergence of traditional chemistry industries with the bio-based chemistry from agriculture and forestry. This creates a strong need for agriculture to step forward and here in Canada this means a strong focus on innovation - biomass to chemicals, specialty crops for biofuels, biomaterials and nutrition. ABIC is a conference designed to focus attention on the issues and future opportunities in global agriculture. As a founder of ABIC (Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference) in 1995, a conference focused on new science and its commercial benefits. I look forward to seeing ABIC continue its focus on science to commercialization in Calgary, Sept 15 to 18, 2013 with the theme “Food, Water and Energy for a Hungry World.” It’s a theme that fits well with agriculture becoming a fundamental pillar for a healthy world.
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