A new digital platform from Farm Credit Canada (FCC) will focus on telling the story of Canadian agriculture.
Justine Hendricks, President and CEO of FCC unveiled the project Tuesday at the Future of Food conference in Ottawa.
The Let’s Grow Canada website’s stated purpose is “to shine a light on the people and stories behind Canada’s agriculture and food system and (grow) a national movement that invites Canadians and global partners to help shape our food future.”
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The initiative has four main goals: Build pride, bring more talent to the sector, bring investment within Canada and grow trade.
Hendricks told media that one of the most consistent requests she gets in her role is “Justine, if you could only help tell the story,” of Canadian agri-food.
She described Let’s Grow Canada as “a movement, not a marketing campaign.”
“If you do a campaign, you set a budget, you say, we’re going to spend X amount, we’re going to blast as much as we can and see what you generate,” Hendricks said. “With the movement being more grassroots, we’re going to build it up over time.”
Strengths and challenges
In building the initiative, FCC identified eight major strengths in the Canadian food system, including food security diversity and sustainable practices.
“We said, okay, well, if Canada’s ag and food industry was a brand, what type of brand would it be? (And) what’s the challenge with the brand?” Hendricks said.
Challenges included fragmentation and the reliance on the U.S. as a trading partner.
“If Canada wants to show up differently, how should we show up?” Hendricks said. “We said, you know, we should be proud to be kind of the superhero of food for around the world.”
“We can still be humble (and) kind, but we’ve got the ingenuity to lead, the creativity to make something happen, and we should stand up and do that.”
FCC touts unified approach
The platform is also intended to become a resource for those seeking more information about topics like food sources, new agricultural technologies, or careers.
Hendricks said the unified approach will help the involved organizations get their message out.
“You will not see the FCC logo on any of this,” she said. “We’re kind of creating the environment so that the industry can come together and we can really amplify our message and what we do, but from a unified voice.”
She said she is confident in this approach because it will tell the story of Canadian agriculture “with those that do it every day.”
“Instead of trying to replace some of the great work that’s out there, we’re creating this platform for people to come and showcase what they do,” she said. “We really want to create that buzz out there, so that people have a new energy around the sector.”
