Marie-Claude Bibeau, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and Scott Moe, Saskatchewan’s Premier, have announced that the Saskatchewan Agriculture Development Fund will be funding $9.8 million across 39 crop-related research projects.
Support for research projects is distributed on the basis of importance to Saskatchewan producers.
“Despite challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada’s crop sector has continued to work hard to ensure Canadians and families around the world have access to high-quality products,” Bibeau said. “Investing in research helps producers grow the food the world needs in the most efficient and sustainable way possible. These applied research projects will help producers innovate and create growth."
“Saskatchewan’s agriculture sector has incredible growth potential and this targeted investment will help our producers and agri-businesses innovate to continue to deliver what the world needs,” Moe said. “This investment supports the bold goals in the Saskatchewan Growth Plan that will see our crop production increase to 45 million tonnes, agriculture exports increase to $20 billion and value-added revenue increase to $10 billion.”
About $4.5 million, almost half of the funding, went towards 11 pulse-related projects, followed by about $2.5 million distributed across 15 crop-related projects and about $1.4 million distributed across 6 cereal-related projects.
The remaining funding is distributed across various alternative crop, oilseed, and forage-related projects.
Some of the notable projects include enhancing the value of lentil variation for ecosystem survival, dry bean breeding with tolerance to local diseases, pea breeding for with improved resistance to root rot, fabricating biodegradable plastics from canola and pulses, enhancing yield and quality of leafy green vegetable production, and developing practices that support yield, biodiversity, and ecosystem services on prairie farms.
The full list and budget breakdown of research projects can be found here.