Farmers Hit Hard by Policy Decisions
The farming community is not afraid to voice its dismay. Just when our relationship with the United States is hanging by a thread, despite this country’s essential role in our food supply chain, the government reduced its support for the Quebec agriculture sector. Our farmers are bearing the brunt of this decision: their funding is subject to economic peaks and valleys, which proves that agriculture ranks low on the political priority list. This short-sighted logic shows a fundamental misunderstanding of farming realities.
How Shifting Economic Decisions Jeopardize Our Farms
Agriculture is not just an ordinary budget item. We cannot build our farms, enrich our soils or pass on our generational know-how in step with passing political trends. Our farm heritage takes decades to build and can crumble in the blink of an eye. When farmers have no choice but to change careers due to lack of support, each abandoned parcel of land becomes vulnerable to urban sprawl—and it cannot be recovered once it’s covered with asphalt. Every abandoned plot of cropland and missed season harms our farming performance, leaving us to fall behind and casting a shadow over recovery plans.
But what is most at stake is the technical knowledge that makes up our farming heritage, which can disappear when a single generation cuts ties with the land. A wealth of expertise can vanish in its wake, and no money can buy it back. Ultimately, our ability to sustain ourselves was built over generations. If we give up the hard work even for a brief moment, it may as well be impossible to restore.
The Agricultural Sector Is Counting on Us
Food self-sufficiency requires not only a long-term vision, but also a political willingness to build a viable and well-rooted agricultural sector. After all, agriculture is a societal issue! In a time of economic unrest, growing geopolitical tensions and increasing health risks, can we really afford to further undermine our farming industry?
Source : Radio-Canada (in french)