The growing number of aging farmers is accelerating the pace of change in agriculture. Professor David Sparling, Chair of Agri-Food Innovation and Regulation at Ivey, commented in The Globe and Mail on the shift in farm demographics.
According to the Census of Agriculture, almost half of all farmers were 55 or older in 2011. The growing number of retired farmers has spurred a shift towards massive farms that rely on technology.
Sparling noted the increase of smaller farms makes Canada’s farming sector unique to the economy.
“These are the farmers that serve the growing taste for high-value organic vegetables and fresh, local food harvested on farms that are tiny compared with the sprawling grain operations that export wheat and canola to world markets,” said Sparling.
The article is part of a week-long series, The Boomer Shift, which looks at baby boomers’ spending and investing habits and the impact on Canada’s economy.
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