Defining Branch Priorities

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)

Vision: A strong agri-food sector that is integral to Ontario's economy and contributes innovative solutions to protect the environment, to provide safe and nutritious food, to promote the bio-economy and to support the health and well-being of Ontarians.

Strategy: Strong Agri-Food Sector (Strong People, Strong Economy)

Innovative and Competitiveness Division

Vision: Ontario's agriculture and food sectors are thriving, sustainable, market-responsive and internationally competitive.

Mission: Explore, develop and deliver innovative solutions to enhance the economic development of Ontario's agriculture and food sectors.

Crop Technology Branch

Vision: Partnering in a competitive, sustainable and environmentally responsible crop sector.

Priorities:

Innovation Economy …
Assist crop sectors to respond to new and evolving opportunities in the marketplace such as value chains, functional foods, nutraceuticals, bioenergy, biohealth and bioremediation.
Plant Health and Regulatory Issues …
Assess crop protection issues, support minor use initiatives and develop programs in integrated pest management, plant health and reduced risk strategies. Assist commodity sectors in dealing with regulatory related impacts.
Competitive Production and Handling …
Assess new and/or evolving crop production and management technologies to improve competitiveness in the domestic and global marketplace.
Food Safety and Quality …
Promote sustainable production and postharvest systems and practices that will ensure safe, high-quality agricultural products for the marketplace.
Environment …
Assess and promote environmentally responsible use of new technologies, nutrients, pesticides and water for crop production and assess impacts and opportunities of climate change.

Crop Technology Branch consists of highly trained, technical professionals, who are committed to maintaining their leading edge knowledge of both the research and the field production aspects of their disciplines. By partnering with growers, grower organizations, agri-business and researchers, staff work to improve the economic competitiveness and innovative capacity of the crop production sector of Ontario. This is achieved through validation, knowledge translation and delivery of technical information through print publications; conferences, seminars and workshops; the internet; applied research and demonstration trials; and commodity association and agri-business meetings. Crop Technology Branch staff also use their knowledge and experience behind the scenes to establish research priorities, encourage new markets and technology developments, provide technical input to various policy directives and facilitate communication between all sectors of the industry.

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