Policy for a Regenerative and Resilient Food System
With worsening climate and economic extremes, farmers are seeking pathways to resilience. Through ecological management, agriculture can be a major part of the solution to climate change, food security, and farm livelihoods. Organic and regenerative agriculture boost profits, restore soil health and biodiversity, and provide nutritious food while reducing emissions and sequestering carbon. These management systems serve as ecological innovation platforms, working with the cycles of nature to reduce fossil fuel-based input dependency. Adopting these practices benefits all producers by addressing challenges like input costs, soil erosion, and environmental impacts.
Despite being the world’s fifth largest organic market, Canada lacks federal policy support for organic, disadvantaging our farmers and causing a growing production gap. This limits Canadian farmers’ returns and resilience, and consumers’ access to Canadian organic products. As countries around the world invest in organic and agroecology, we need urgent policy action to ensure climate resilience and food security for all. We advocate for organic and regenerative agriculture, advance farmer-centric policies and the transition to a regenerative food system.
Farmers are on the front lines of managing many climate related threats and they need support and guidance today to ensure their success for generations to come. Planning today for long-term sustainable agriculture that prioritizes net zero emissions, least harm, and long-term soil health is critical to long term domestic supply chain stability and systems’ adaptability.
Our Policy Priority Areas
We are committed to the widespread adoption and improvement of organic and regenerative farming and ranching systems. Our policy work advocates for the needs of organic and regenerative producers and is currently in development. We look forward to working with our membership and organic and regenerative producers to ensure our priorities reflect current needs:
- Research, including farmer-led and on-farm research
- Education and extension, including through peer-to-peer networks
- Reducing the risk of transition to organic and regenerative agriculture
- Pathways for new, young, and underserved farmers
- Climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience
- Supply chain resilience and local and regional food systems
- Transparency for organic producers and consumers
Current Policy News
In December 2024, COG’s Director of Policy and Research, Katie Fettes, travelled to Taiwan and joined hundreds of farmers, policymakers, researchers, and advocates at the 21st IFOAM Organic World Congress.
In June, Minister of Agriculture Lawrence MacAulay responded to e-petition 4909, which called for bold policies and strategic investments to grow the organic sector and enhance its contribution to sustainable, resilient food systems.
In June, 2024, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food released its report following a study on Issues Facing the Horticultural Sector. We are pleased to see that the report, titled “Improving the Resilience of Canada’s Horticultural Sector,” includes several key recommendations aimed at supporting the growth of the organic sector.
How We Engage
Contact
For more information about COG’s policy and advocacy work please contact Katie Fettes at katie.fettes@cog.ca.
If you are passionate about engaging in agricultural policy in a more direct way become a COG member and receive regular policy updates, participate in our annual policy agenda, receive invitations to submissions, petitions and more.