Why Canadian Plant Breeding Demands Homegrown Solutions
Canadian plant breeding has produced some of the highest-quality crops in the world — the result of decades of investment in a system built specifically for Canadian conditions. Short seasons, harsh winters, and unpredictable weather demand innovation developed here, for here.
Now, Canada is on the brink.
Depending on the decisions made in Canadian agriculture right now, we could be on the brink of innovation, of opportunity, or of losing capacity built over generations. Which path we take will fundamentally shape our agricultural future.
Curtis Pozniak on the Stakes for Canadian Crop Innovation
For Curtis Pozniak, Director of the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, that challenge is central to the work of Canadian plant breeding.
“Canadian conditions really need made-in-Canada solutions,” he says in Episode 2 of On the Brink, Seed World’s new cross-country video series exploring the future of plant breeding in Canada.
But Canadian plant breeding is cumulative and it doesn’t pause without consequence. When investment slows or becomes inconsistent, progress stalls, breeding pipelines lose momentum, and genetics can quickly fall behind global competitors. Capacity built over decades is difficult to rebuild once it’s lost.
In a global market where other countries are continuing to invest and advance their own plant breeding programs, standing still means falling behind.
On the Brink delivers weekly video episodes bringing together farmers, breeders, researchers, and others across the industry to share their perspectives on crop innovation. The goal is to spark an open, multi-perspective, ongoing conversation about the science, partnerships, and long-term investment underpinning Canadian agriculture.
What Episode 2 of On the Brink Explores
How will decisions made today shape what Canadian agriculture looks like into the future? That’s what Episode 2 of On the Brink explores, told through the lens of one of Canada’s leading plant breeders and the system working to build crops for Canadian conditions.
On the Brink delivers weekly video episodes bringing together farmers, breeders, researchers, and others across the industry to share their perspectives on Canadian crop innovation. The goal is to spark an open, multi-perspective, ongoing conversation about the science, partnerships, and long-term investment underpinning Canadian agriculture.
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We’ll deliver a new episode each week, right to your inbox, representing diverse voices and perspectives from across Canada’s plant breeding and agricultural innovation ecosystem.
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What Is ‘On The Brink’?
On the Brink delivers weekly video episodes bringing together farmers, breeders, researchers, and others across the industry to share their perspectives on crop innovation. The goal is to spark an open, multi-perspective, ongoing conversation about the science, partnerships, and long-term investment underpinning Canadian agriculture.
We need your help to grow and evolve this conversation!
- Nominate individuals you think should be part of this video series.. Know someone who would add to the conversation? Email us at OnTheBrink@seedworldgroup.com
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