TORONTO, Canada
Canada needs 30,000 new farmers by 2033 to sustain its agriculture sector, a study showed.
More than 40% of Canadian farm operators will retire within 10 years, the study conducted in collaboration with the University of Guelph, Boston Consulting Group, and the Royal Bank of Canada, said.
Over the same period, a shortfall of 24,000 farm, nursery, and greenhouse workers is expected to emerge, and Canada would face famine if the gap is not filled, it noted.
The study also said 66% of farmers do not have a succession plan in place.
"To offset a short-term skills crisis, we’ll need to accept 30,000 permanent immigrants over the next decade to establish their own farms and greenhouses or take over existing ones," it said.
While the number of farm operators in the country, which was 346,000 in 2001, dropped to 262,000 in 20 years, farmlands have also been shrinking, according to the study.
Also, Canada's agriculture sector will need to produce significantly more food for the rising world population, it said.
