Conference to Discuss Future of N.S. Agri-food Industry

AGRICULTURE /FISHERIES--Conference to Discuss Future of N.S. Agri-Food Industry

A conference in Truro this Thursday and Friday (March 22-23) will be the first stage of extensive planning for development of a new Agri-Food Strategy for Nova Scotia.

The Agri-Food Outlook 2001 conference is a co-operative venture between the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture and the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

"This conference will focus on the forces that are driving dramatic global changes in the production, processing and presentation of the harvests from our lands and waters,” said Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Ernest Fage.

“Technology, demographics, socio-cultural evolution and global economics are all converging to create markets that are both dynamic and often elusive," he said. "We are coming together in Truro to look at how we can position ourselves to take advantage of opportunities today and realize the potential for tomorrow."

Deputy minister Peter Underwood will co-chair the conference for the deparmtment. "A new Agri-Food Strategy for Nova Scotia will mean the industry will have a shared and strategic vision of the future, with the resources and ability to affect change, rather than wait for it to happen," he said.

Local and international opinion leaders in the agri-food industry will participate.

Art Siemering, managing director of International Food Futurists, will be the keynote speaker on Thursday. Mr. Siemering, also an award-winning journalist, combines the vision of a futurist with a gift for strategic thinking. He will look at what is happening in today’s society that may change the way we farm.

Producers, commodity group leaders, federal and provincial government representatives, policy makers, and other participants will discuss the following topics:

• consumer and market-driven agriculture.
• globalization and multi-nationals.
• life sciences -- new technologies.
• commodities vs. niche markets.
• agriculture and the environment.
• agriculture and the rural community.

President Peter Hill will co-chair the conference for the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture. "The level of innovation and change that has faced farming in the past few decades has been dramatic," he said, citing as examples livestock and plant genetics, communications, and management of farm equipment.

"But all of these changes will be dwarfed by what lies ahead in the coming years. Looking at these topics over a two-day period will only be the start to examining our industry in the context of shifting societal values and global complexity."

Agri-Food Outlook 2001 will take place at the Best Western Glengarry Convention Centre in Truro.

The first day’s agenda begins at 9 a.m. and is open to anyone interested. It will have a format of presentations and discussions. The $25 fee includes breaks and lunch. The second day will be a series of workshops for 48 industry leaders.

For more information or to register, please contact Bela Casson at 902-893-2293 or Joan Cottell at 902-424-8954.