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Canada’s
food comes from our croplands, rangelands,
and the livestock and animals raised
on these lands. We are one of the
world’s leading food producers,
exporting agricultural products such
as grains, oilseeds, vegetables, meats,
and dairy and animal products to other
countries. The agricultural and agri-food
sector is one of the largest employers
in Canada.
Although we depend on agriculture
to put food in our grocery stores
and on our tables, the agricultural
industry has been a major force in
the conversion of land in Canada.
The number and diversity of wildlife
species has changed dramatically,
due to the replacement of natural
grasslands with crops; the draining
of wetlands; and the destabilization
of natural chemical balances in the
soil because of pesticide use. Native
prairie grassland ecosystems (where
much of our agriculture land is located)
are the most endangered natural habitats
in Canada. The draining of wetlands
(which was encouraged in the past
to increase the area farmland) has
been recognized as being detrimental
to the natural filtration and retention
of water in the land.
In combination with the application
of chemicals and fertilizers in agricultural
production, agriculture has affected
water quality in our waterways and
in groundwater. Agriculture and agri-food
activities also produce greenhouse
gases (nitrous oxide and methane)
which are more powerful than carbon
dioxide in terms of their potential
to contribute to climate change. The
good news is that with appropriate
farming practices, agricultural soils
may absorb more atmospheric carbon
than they emit (this is called carbon
sink capacity). In addition, efforts
are being made to reclaim wetlands
and control runoff from agricultural
sources to improve water quality.
Click on Select-A-Career or EnviroCareers
to find out more about the environmental
jobs related to commercial agriculture:
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