More than 40% of Canadian farmers are planning to retire over the next decade, leaving the country’s agriculture sector with an acute shortage of workers, according to a new report.
The Royal Bank of Canada, Boston Consulting Group, and University of Guelph authored the report that says this country will be short 24,000 farmers, nursery and greenhouse operators in the coming 10 years.
Equally worrisome, the report estimates that 66% of farm operators do not have a succession plan in place for when they stop working.
To address the worker shortage, the report says Canada needs to accept 30,000 permanent immigrants by 2033 to take over existing farms and greenhouse operations.
The report also encourages governments across Canada to improve agriculture education and increase automation, which can make farm operations more efficient.
The report says the worker shortage exacerbates other problems in Canada’s agriculture sector, namely the need to produce more food for a growing population while cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
