Nature of risk
The closure represents a significant loss of Canada’s public agricultural research capacity in climate-resilient and regenerative farming systems. Long-term field trials cannot be easily replaced, meaning critical datasets on soil health, emissions reduction, and sustainable crop systems may be permanently lost. This weakens Canada’s ability to develop low-emission and climate-adaptive agricultural practices at a time of increasing climate stress on food systems. The decision also reduces innovation capacity for farmers, undermines evidence-based policy development, and erodes long-term resilience in the agricultural sector.
Policy summary
What changed
The federal government has ended the Organic and Regenerative Research Program at the Swift Current Research and Development Centre in Saskatchewan as part of broader agriculture research cuts. The program, operated by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), was the only dedicated federal initiative focused on long-term organic and low-input farming systems in Canada. Its closure includes the termination of nearly 20 years of field trials and the conversion or destruction of experimental organic research plots that supported studies on soil health, crop rotation, pest management, and climate-resilient agriculture.
Primary source