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Kody Blois, Member of Parliament for Kings–Hants, Nova Scotia and Chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food has announced up to $6.8 million for Organic Science Cluster 4 (OSC4) through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) AgriScience Program, an initiative under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

AgriScience Clusters support projects intended to mobilize industry, government and academia through partnerships and address priority national themes.  

“This investment will help our organic farmers manage environmental challenges and fine-tune their practices so they can keep delivering top-quality food, sustainably,” said the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “It’s support like this that allows our organic sector to lead the way and reach even more customers here in Canada and around the world.”

The Organic Federation of Canada (OFC) will leverage AAFC’s contribution with an additional $5.3 million from more than 80 funding partners for a total investment of $12.1 million over five years. Led by the OFC, in cooperation with the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (OACC), the OSC4 addresses organic sector priorities and contributes to Government priorities in areas of climate change mitigation, agriculture sector resilience, and economic development.  

“With the funding announced today, the Organic Federation of Canada will be able to help advance research and address key challenges in organic farming,” said Kody Blois, Member of Parliament for Kings–Hants, Nova Scotia. “Canadian organic farmers, including those here in Nova Scotia, will have the support they need to keep producing high-quality, sustainable food, strengthening our organic sector and benefiting all Canadians.”

The research will develop and measure the environmental impacts of sustainable farming practices for conserving soil, water, and biodiversity and provide producers with best practices based on validated environmental benefits.   

“Maintaining biodiversity and soil health, reducing GHGs, using integrated approaches to pest management, and delivering economic benefits to farmers are key goals of the 14 research activities in field crops, horticulture and livestock production that will be carried out as part of the Organic Science Cluster 4,” said Jim Robbins, President of the OFC.

“The OFC would like to thank AAFC, and the funding partners and organic farms for their generous contributions and direct participation in the research, which is being carried out by nearly 50 researchers from 10 Canadian universities and 13 research centers. The close cooperation between researchers and industry partners will lead the industry to adopt new practices and benefit from the results of the research.”

Dr. Andrew Hammermeister, OSC4 Science Director working out of Dalhousie University, describes the value of organic science indicating, “Organic agriculture is a model of an agricultural system guided by principles and standards promoting sustainability. The science supporting organic agriculture seeks innovative, ecologically sound solutions to production challenges that can serve all of agriculture.”

The OFC is a not-for-profit national organization founded in 2007, leading the Canadian Organic Standards maintenance and interpretation and facilitating industry-led research in organic production systems.

The OACC is a national organization based at the Dalhousie University Agricultural Campus in Nova Scotia. Founded in 2001, the OACC aims to serve Canada’s organic sector through science and education. The OFC and OACC have co-managed three previous Organic Science Clusters: OSCI (2009-2013); OSCII (2013-2018); and OSC3 (2018-2023). OSC4 spans 2023-2028.