Overview

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has been continually evolving its research programming, recognizing that research is an integral support to ministry core business areas, the broader agriculture and agri-food sectors and rural communities.

Research and innovation are recognized as cornerstones to establishing Ontario as a global leader, to be competitive and to ensure Ontario is prepared and resilient for the future challenges and opportunities.

Ontario is committed to supporting research and innovation to keep growing the province’s agri-food sector while creating jobs, attracting investment, protecting the environment and supporting food security.

Research and innovation are fundamental to the sector’s success in:

  • managing and mitigating emerging challenges such as climate change, animal disease and the spread of pests
  • strengthening Ontario’s competitive edge and fostering economic growth and sustainability in the agri-food sector
  • effectively responding to consumer demand for food that is produced in a safe manner

Most funding program applicants must clearly demonstrate that their proposal is within scope of OMAFRA’s research priorities and fits with one or more of the research questions.

Priority development

Priorities are developed by the ministry to be reflective of broad sector needs. Previously established research priorities and focus areas provide strategic guidance for developing specific research questions that reflect the current needs of government and industry.

The priority development process includes consideration for industry drive-research needs that are collected through both formal and informal stakeholder engagement opportunities.

We’re committed to being flexible in the process to ensure that unanticipated research needs can be captured on an as-needed basis. We’re always open to receiving stakeholder input as priorities evolve and emergent issues arise.

We actively communicate research results to the sector in a variety of pathways, often in partnership with industry.

Research priorities

Research priority areas

The 11 research priority areas that are the current focus of funding opportunities include:

  • food safety
  • animal health and welfare
  • plant health and protection
  • soil health
  • water quality and quantity
  • sustainable production systems
  • productive land capacity
  • competitive production system
  • innovative products and product improvement
  • trade, market and targeted sector growth opportunities
  • strong rural communities

Priority and goals

Each of the 11 research priorities have a research focus area and a set of goals.

Protection and assurance: ensuring protection and assurance in the agri-food sector

Priority: Food safety

Goals:

  • enhance public confidence in the sector to deliver on food safety, animal health, plant health, emergency management and animal welfare expectations and demands
  • anticipate, detect, mitigate and/or reduce food safety hazards along the supply chain
Priority: Animal health and welfare

Goals:

  • enhance public confidence in the sector to deliver on food safety, animal health, plant health, emergency management and animal welfare expectations and demands
  • anticipate, detect, mitigate and/or reduce animal health hazards and antimicrobial use along the supply chain
Priority: Plant health and protection

Goals:

  • enhance public confidence in the sector to deliver on food safety, animal health, plant health, emergency management and animal welfare expectations and demands
  • help strengthen the agri-food sector’s sustainability and social license through increased utilization of Integrated Pest Management and other pest mitigation strategies
  • anticipate, detect, mitigate and/or reduce plant hazards along the supply chain and improve plant resilience and resistance

Stewardship: providing stewardship of Ontario’s capacity to produce food

Priority: Soil health

Goals:

  • protect and enhance soil health and water quality, supporting improved public confidence in the sector to deliver on sustainability expectations
  • improve soil health and conservation to support agricultural productivity
Priority: Water quality and quantity

Goals:

  • protect and enhance soil health and water quality, supporting improved public confidence in the sector to deliver on sustainability expectations
  • strengthen the agri-food sector’s sustainability and social license through improved water use and water quality
Priority: Sustainable production systems

Goal: Strengthen the sustainability of the agri-food sector through:

  • soil health and conservation
  • improved water quality, such as reduced phosphorus runoff and pesticides
  • increased water/waste/energy efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
  • increased utilization of 4 Rs of Nutrient Stewardship
Priority: Productive land capacity

Goal: Reduce the rate of loss of farmland through improved land use planning to support agricultural viability.

Economic development: fostering economic development of the agri-food sector and rural Ontario

Priority: Competitive production systems

Goals: Improve production efficiency, productivity, competitiveness and public trust efforts through technology adoption and innovation and technology development such as:

  • labor-saving technology or practices
  • automation
  • waste reduction
  • recycling
  • increased water/waste/energy efficiency
  • reduced GHG emissions
Priority: Innovative products and product development

Goals: Enhance competitiveness, profitability and growth of the agri-food sector through new or improved products.

Priority: Trade, market, and targeted growth opportunities

Goals:

  • grow the overall agri-food sector through expansion of existing and access to new domestic and international markets
  • improve economic performance in identified priority sub-sectors and increased production of niche and/or value-add products
Priority: Strong rural communities

Goal: Enhance competitiveness, profitability and growth of rural communities.

Crosscutting priorities

Our crosscutting priorities overarch the 11 main research priority areas. They include:

  • One Health opportunities
  • measuring performance
  • multi-disciplinary collaborations to address complex research needs
  • emergency management
  • innovative and disruptive technologies and practices
  • sector and rural communities resilient and adaptive to climate change
  • equity, diversity and inclusion, such as issues faced by Indigenous partners and other equity-seeking groups