OMAFA's Research Priorities

Goals

• Grow the overall agri-food sector by expanding access in domestic and international markets.
• Improve the economic performance of identified priority sub-sectors.
• Support the production of niche and/or value-add products that have a high potential for growth.

Research Focus Area

• Domestic Market Analysis: Research, data, and analysis to support Ontario’s agribusiness and the agri-food sector to remain competitive in domestic markets in response to change and challenges.
• Global Market Analysis: Research, data, and analysis to support Ontario’s agribusiness and the agri-food sector to remain competitive in global markets in response to change and challenges.
• Targeted Sector Growth: Identify (in partnership with industry stakeholders), investigate and research opportunities to address targeted sector growth opportunities that will remove key barriers and improve competitiveness of sectors that are strategically identified for growth in the agriculture and food sectors.
• One of the Cross-cutting Focus Areas (listed below) that contributes directly to meeting the goal(s) of the priority.

Goals

Improve the efficiency, productivity and competitiveness of production systems through technology adoption and innovation such as:

• Labour-saving technology or practices
• Automation
• Waste reduction
• Recycling
• Increased water/energy efficiency
• Establishing basic agronomic practices for new cultivars and new production systems (e.g., cultivar evaluation, evaluating survival in challenging environments, establishing fertility guidelines, irrigation requirements, planting dates and methods, etc.
• Assess the economic viability of growing a new crop in Ontario by analyzing factors such as market demand, production costs & profitability, and climate suitability.

Research Focus Areas

• Improved Management and Processes: e.g., crop and livestock productions systems that improve yields and quality through agronomy, production practices, decision making, genetic methods, efficient fertilizer use, season extension technologies.
• Input Use Efficiency: Input use efficiency (e.g., alternative feeds, feed efficiency, automation in horticulture; irrigation efficiency in greenhouse, reproductive performance, food processing resource efficiency).
• Labour Access/Efficiencies: Research and evidence to support the development of strategies to ensure that the economic growth and sustainability of the agribusiness and agri-food sector is supported by adequate access to labour and/or labour efficiencies.
• One of the Cross-cutting Focus Areas (listed below) that contributes directly to meeting the goal(s) of the priority.

Goal

• Enhance the competitiveness, profitability, and growth of the agri-food sector through new or improved products.

Research Focus Areas

• New Product Development: Investigate new products (physical products, services, or processes) to improve marketability and profitability, meet consumer demands, and enhance productivity in the sector, from concept to prototype (e.g., alternative proteins, foods of the future, new crops, bioproducts) and testing (concept testing, usability, functional and performance testing, etc.).
• Product Enhancement:  Investigate means of enhancing products, including management practices, product trait development, new technology development and validation.
• One of the Cross-cutting Focus Areas (listed below) that contributes directly to meeting the goal(s) of the priority.

Goal

• Enhance the competitiveness, resilience and economic growth of rural communities.

Research Focus Area

• Labour Access and/or Efficiencies: Research and evidence to support the development of strategies to ensure that rural communities, rural industries, and rural businesses have access to adequate labour, with the skills needed or labour efficiencies for economic growth and sustainability of rural communities.
• Rural Community Development: Research that strengthens rural communities’ ability and capacity to address current and forthcoming challenges, including but not limited to: financial sustainability, growing affordable housing options, addressing infrastructure gaps, addressing cyber threats and encouraging increased and responsible use of emerging technologies.
• One of the Cross-cutting Focus Areas (listed below) that contributes directly to meeting the goal(s) of the priority.

Goals

• Protect and enhance soil health and conservation to support agricultural productivity and improved public trust in the sector to meet sustainability expectations.

Research Focus Area

• Baseline Soil Health Information: Baseline soil health information (i.e., relationship between physical, chemical, and biological components) and development of robust and measurable soil health indicators.
• BMP Development: Develop, validate, and continuously improve practices and technologies to support soil health, enhance soil structure, fertility and biodiversity, sustainable soil management practices and to estimate/calculate the economic value of BMPs.
• Environmental Impact of Management Practices: Environmental impacts of fertilizer use, nutrient management, and integrated pest management.
• One of the Cross-cutting Focus Areas (listed below) that contributes directly to meeting the goal(s) of the priority.

Goals

• Protect and enhance water quality supporting improved public trust in the sector to deliver on sustainability expectations.

Research Focus Areas

• Analysis of BMP Adoption: Understand the behavioural, social, and economic barriers or incentives to BMP adoption by the agri-food sector.
• BMP Development: Develop, validate, and continuously improve practices and technologies to support water quality and quantity, and to estimate/calculate the economic value of BMPs.
• Environmental Impact of Management Practices: Environmental impacts of fertilizer use, nutrient management, green infrastructure, and integrated pest management on water quality.
• One of the Cross-cutting Focus Areas (listed below) that contributes directly to meeting the goal(s) of the priority.

Goals

Strengthen the sustainability of the agri-food sector through:

• The sustainable use of the land to improve and/or maintain resilient, connected, agri-ecosystems.
• The sustainable use of resources/inputs, including:
  • Increased water/waste/energy efficiency, recovery, and reuse,
  • Reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and
  • Increased utilization of 4R Nutrient Stewardship (Right Source @ Right Rate, Right Time, Right Place ®)
• Increased understanding of sustainability requirements, including regulatory compliance, certifications, for expanding market access.

Research Focus Areas

• Analysis of BMP Adoption: Understand the behavioural, social, and economic barriers or incentives to BMP adoption by the agri-food sector and calculate economic value of BMPs.
• BMP Development: Develop, validate, and continuously improve practices and technologies to support sustainable agri-food production and processing systems.
• Environmental Impacts of Management Practices and Production (i.e. impacts of: fertilizer use, nutrient management, integrated pest management, green infrastructure, etc., on ecosystems, biodiversity, wetlands, climate resiliency etc.).
• One of the Cross-cutting Focus Areas (listed below) that contributes directly to meeting the goal(s) of the priority.

Goal

• Implement land use policies that support a healthy and resilient agriculture and food industry.

Research Focus Area

• Evidence to support land use policies: Document evidence to inform land use policies that support the long-term success of the agri-food and agribusiness sectors.
• Effectiveness of land use policies:  assessment of existing policies to protect agricultural land and farm operations and support economic success of the agri-food sector and rural communities.
• One of the Cross-cutting Focus Areas (listed below) that contributes directly to meeting the goal(s) of the priority.

• Indigenous agriculture and agri-food systems:  Develop a research project to address key needs, challenges, or emerging opportunities in support of Indigenous agriculture and food production systems in Ontario. Project proposals must abide by the six R’s of Indigenous Research and the First Nations’ Principles of OCAP®. (ownership, control, access, and possession)
• Innovative and Disruptive Technologies and Practices: Identification verification, validation, demonstration and adoption of new, innovative, and disruptive technologies and practices to support a resilient, secure and sustainable agriculture and food sector.
• Multi-disciplinary Research to Address Integrated Priorities: Multi-disciplinary collaborations to address complex needs: Research that includes multiple disciplines where goals are set under one thematic umbrella with demonstrable alignment to industry and/or OMAFA priorities.
• Climate Change Resiliency: Understand risks and mitigation strategies to support an agriculture, food sector and rural communities that are resilient and adaptive to climate change.
• One Health opportunities
• Measuring Performance: Measure performance through baseline information, trend and gap analysis, impact assessment, and BMP adoption to quantify and benchmark performance.
• Emergency Management:  Developing and implementing strategies and protocols to enhance preparedness, response, and resilience to emergencies in the sector. This includes managing risks associated with issues such as food-borne illness, disease outbreaks, natural disasters, agribusiness, and supply chain disruptions to ensure the safety and stability of the food production system.
• Promoting equity, diversity and inclusion, and finding solutions to issues faced by equity-seeking groups.