Abstract
Saskatchewan's agri-food industry is strong and growing; the infrastructure is in place to support investment, specialized talent is readily available, and demand for Saskatchewan's agricultural products is increasing. There is cause for optimism as this prairie province strives to meet two key challenges: First, to communicate effectively to the public and policy makers this sense of growth and optimism. Second, to drive the evolution of its structures and processes at a fast enough pace to meet this growth potential and to be prepared to take advantage of future opportunities.
Growing Infrastructure
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan's largest (and Canada's fastest growing) city, has well-established infrastructure and expertise in both the public and private sectors. 1 Approximately 1,500 individuals work in the agricultural and bioscience research and development (R&D) community. A thriving research cluster created in Saskatoon includes the University of Saskatchewan (U of S), Agriculture Canada, and the National Research Council, which pursue research on cereals, pulses, and oilseeds, for examples. Within the cluster, the Saskatchewan Research Council and the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) are ramping up biomanufacturing for vaccines; and the Canadian Light Source (Canada's only synchrotron facility), POS Bio-Sciences (specializing in extraction, fractionation, modification, and purification of biobased materials), and Innovation Place's Bio Processing Centre (providing custom processing on a contract basis for the nutraceuticals, cosmetics and agri-foods industries), offer resources and services for research and product testing.
Some of the biosciences research resources and infrastructure available have multidisciplinary potential. For example, the Royal University Hospital introduced its new positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scanner this year, which, while having obvious benefits to the health industry, also has potential for the study of plants and plant tissue. In addition, plans for a cyclotron are underway at the Sylvia Fedoruk Centre for Nuclear Innovation.
Policy for Growth
Officially launched on April 1, 2013, Growing Forward 2 (GF2) is the policy framework for Canada's agricultural and agri-food sector, and represents the foundation for government agricultural programs and services over the next five years. 2 Programs focus on innovation, competitiveness, and market development for the benefit of producers and processors. The $3 billion (USD2.86 billion) investment by Canada's federal, provincial, and territorial governments includes $1 billion (USD0.95 billion) for federally delivered strategic initiatives and $2 billion (USD1.9 billion) cost-shared (60:40) for programs delivered by provinces and territories. Provincial and territorial governments are allowed to tailor programs to local needs.
GF2 programs unveiled by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AgriInnovation, AgriCompetitiveness, and AgriMarketing) are designed to accelerate innovation by supporting R&D, to foster strategic expansion of capacity, to develop leadership and entrepreneurship, and to promote industry competitiveness in domestic and export markets and national assurance systems (targeting food safety, plant health, and traceability, for example).
Other programs are also helping stimulate growth of Saskatchewan's bioeconomy:
• Western Economic Diversification Canada's Western Innovation (WINN) Initiative—a new $100 million (USD95 million) five-year federal initiative that offers repayable contributions for eligible small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with operations in Western Canada to move new technologies from the later stages of R&D to the marketplace.
• The National Research Council of Canada's Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) offers advisory services, funding, networking and linkages, as well as a Youth Employment Program.
• The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Partnership Programs address national strategies and innovation in training and commercialization. 3
• Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) helps developers in the clean-tech and renewable fuels sector strengthen their entrepreneurial skills and business cases. SDTC funding is designed to bridge the funding gap in the innovation chain.
Provincial Support
The provincial government has a strong commitment to stimulating growth of industrial biotechnology. The Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy's (ECON) mission is to “advance economic growth to generate wealth and opportunity in Saskatchewan.” ECON is available to help companies in making the commercial transition into business by providing information on business programs and services. That may translate into facilitating connections to feedstock suppliers, utility providers and regulators, or perhaps to local industrial or supply-chain opportunities. The ministry also assists companies in understanding Saskatchewan's available infrastructure, programs and services, as well as potential synergies with existing businesses. It is practical and useful information companies need as they make site selections and investments in commercial operations. ECON is also responsible for renewable fuel regulations and incentive programs.
Agriculture is an integral part of the provincial government's Saskatchewan Plan for Growth. 4 The Ministry of Agriculture promotes R&D through the Agriculture Development Fund (ADF), which is focused on research relevant to Saskatchewan's producers, including development of new crops and/or cultivars; new and innovative foods, bioproducts, and processing technologies; and the utilization of biotechnology to enhance agriculture and value-added production.
GF2 programming in Saskatchewan includes provincial and federal investment of $388 million (USD370 million) over five years for strategic initiatives, developed through industry consultation and program reviews. Saskatchewan initiatives cover eight key programming areas: 1) Agriculture Awareness Initiatives; 2) Agriculture Innovation, Research and Technology Transfer; 3) Environment; 4) Farm Business Management; 5) Food Safety, Plant and Animal Health; 6) Rural Water Infrastructure; 7) Trade and Market Development; and 8) Value-Added Business Development, including the Saskatchewan Agri-Value Initiative (SAVI), which enables the development and expansion of SMEs or producer/processor organizations in their efforts to add value to agricultural products, through funding and business support.
In 1989, the Ministry of Agriculture partnered with the University of Saskatchewan to create Canada's first bioscience industry association, Ag-West Bio. The Ministry of Agriculture has been supporting the not-for-profit industry catalyst ever since. Ag-West Bio works to grow biobusiness in the province by creating networking opportunities, providing seed capital, and disseminating industry information. Over the past 24 years, business support through Ag-West Bio, along with a Commercialization Fund, has helped many companies move successfully through the early stages. Ag-West Bio attracts international attention to the region's agbio cluster by sponsoring international trade missions and conferences. Several major events are in the planning stages, including the Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC) in Saskatoon in 2014, and the International Rapeseed (Canola) Congress in Saskatoon in July 2015 (co-hosted with the Canola Council of Canada). Ag-West Bio and the Canadian Light Source are planning a workshop on the applications of synchrotron imaging for crop improvement in June 2014.
Genomics research is also evolving. “In the first 10 years of genomics, much of the focus was on genome sequencing,” says Wilf Keller. “Now sequencing is becoming more and more affordable, and we are using genomics as one of the many tools in our toolkit.” Genome Prairie supports stakeholders across Manitoba and Saskatchewan in capturing and maximizing the benefits of advanced research in genomics and related biosciences. This is achieved by aligning the partners and resources needed to develop and manage targeted projects that address regional priorities. Genome Prairie also enables participation among regional researchers in Genome Canada's competitive granting process for large-scale projects. To date, Genome Prairie has supported 18 large-scale projects totalling over $197 million (USD188 million).
The Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP) funds downstream R&D projects that address real world challenges and opportunities as identified by users of genomics research (i.e., industry, government, not-for-profits, and other organizations). Downstream R&D includes proof-of-concept, validation, or development of a product, tool, or process having significant commercial market potential or other measurable impact. This offers an exciting opportunity for researchers to partner with various end-user organizations.
Communication is Key
Much less tangible but as crucial as bricks and mortar to the growth of industrial biotechnology in the region has been the public and policy support for biosciences in Saskatchewan. Lyndon Carlson, Farm Credit Canada's Senior Vice-President, Marketing, explains that the group's “Agriculture More than Ever” movement was a response to a disconnect between the sense of optimism within the farming industry at the producer level and attitudes toward agriculture in urban centers. Agriculture More than Ever is a multi-year industry initiative to improve perceptions of agriculture in order to assist the industry to reach its full potential and ensure its long-term viability. The initiative includes a website where stakeholders are encouraged to share their personal stories.
Alanna Koch, Saskatchewan's Deputy Minister of Agriculture, agrees that communication is crucial. “People not understanding agriculture and the well-educated people behind the industry has the potential to affect producers' bottom line and their right to operate, or it can result in closed borders,” she says. “It can lead to producers not having access to the resources, expertise and people, technology, products, and equipment they need to do their jobs.”
The Ministry of Agriculture has created an “Agriculture Awareness Initiative” under the Growing Forward 2 program. The provincial Ag Awareness Initiative was established to support information, training, and education efforts, including the recruitment and training of industry spokespersons. This program, in parallel with Agriculture More than Ever's encouragement of “agvocates,” who speak to their passion for the industry and optimism for the future, aims to help improve the public perception of agriculture. At the industry level, there is another aspect of communication, both domestically and internationally, to address attitudes and policies regarding genetically modified organisms (GMOs). CropLife Canada is working on all levels, from addressing the safety of and regulations relating to GMOs for consumers and facilitating industry outreach to the public, to taking the industry lead on a national “Low Level Presence” policy for GMOs and working to harmonize maximum residue limits on minor use crops.
“Representation of biotech has been more balanced in the media in the last three years, but we have more work to do to convince consumers to rely on the experts in this field,” says Janice Tranberg, CropLife Vice President, Western Canada. CropLife Canada is the trade association that represents the plant science industry. Lyndon Carlson adds: “We're too late if we're always defending our industry. We need to get out front and explain the science first.”
Optimism=Investment
Changing the public face of agriculture is one of many shifts on the horizon for the industry. Funding structures are evolving, with a greater focus overall on public-private partnerships. In fact, according to Wilf Keller, Ag-West Bio's President and CEO, there is movement to a P4 [public-private-producer partnerships] approach. The Canadian Wheat Alliance is a partnership involving Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the National Research Council of Canada, the U of S Crop Development Centre, and the Province of Saskatchewan. The partners are devoting $97 million (USD92.6 million) over the next five years to the project, which will improve pest and drought resistance, and heat, frost, and flood tolerance in wheat.
A significant example of partnering is the establishment of the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) in Saskatoon. GIFS was created as a partnership among the Saskatchewan government through the Ministry of Agriculture, the University of Saskatchewan, and Saskatchewan's PotashCorp. Roger Beachy, Founding Executive Director of GIFS, notes that with more industry funding, the traditional approach to research will evolve. “The old way of doing research involved information-rich silos,” says Beachy. “Now we need to take a systems-based approach to answer most questions, including those in the food and agriculture sector. That could mean involving scientists and technologists in disciplines that include breeding, processing, packaging, genetics and microbiology, economics, and policy making on the same project. We need to put more effort on ‘team science,’ which could mean restructuring the system of rewards for researchers. It will be a challenge for both the science and administrative communities.”
Beachy plans to continue his relationship with GIFS as senior consultant when his current contract as interim and Founding Executive Director and CEO concludes in January 2014. 4 Ernie Barber will take on the role of Managing Director at that time. Barber is currently Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer.
Over the last five years, the Government of Saskatchewan has more than doubled its investments in agricultural research. The Ministry of Agriculture's Agriculture Development Fund has established strong partnerships to co-fund projects with organizations such as the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission, and Western Grains Research Foundation. These new ways of funding research to use resources more effectively support the sustainable growth of the agriculture sector at home and will help meet the escalating global demand for food. There is more private investment to come, with recent commitments from Monsanto (St. Louis, MO) to invest $100 million (USD95 million) over the next decade into corn and soybean research on the Canadian Prairies.
ABIC 2014 Returns to Saskatoon
The Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC) began in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1996, founded by Ag-West Bio. Since then, ABIC has been hosted in Canada, Germany, Australia, Ireland, Thailand, South Africa, and New Zealand. ABIC 2014 will return to Sasakatoon, the “Paris of the Prairies,” (October 5-8, 2014), hosted by Ag-West Bio. The theme, “Global Leadership in a Changing World,” reflects the challenges of climate change and population growth and the capacity for the agricultural biotechnology industry to step up as a leader in finding solutions. “ABIC is more relevant than ever, considering the global changes that we see coming,” says Wilf Keller. “Agricultural biotechnology will be increasingly important to develop solutions to feeding more people with less land available for agriculture.”