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Canadian Wheat Research Coalition initiates review of Canada’s wheat breeding innovation system

The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) has initiated a review of Canada’s wheat breeding innovation system. Engaging Synthesis Agri-Food Network to review the current wheat breeding landscape will help the CWRC to determine potential risks andd opportunities in the system and continue generating varieties that will meet the needs of Canadian growers.

“Canadian farmers need a wheat breeding innovation system that is globally competitive, prevents technology gaps and maintains choice and competition in the marketplace,” says Dean Hubbard, CWRC chair and a farmer near Claresholm, Alta.

Core breeding agreements (CBAs) with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), the University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre, the University of Manitoba and the University of Alberta, as well as other investments in public plant breeding have resulted in more than 40 new wheat varieties across multiple wheat classes. Since the introduction of the CBA model, farmers have become a key funding partner and their contributions represent almost half of the estimated total public varietal research and development costs.

“As farmers, we have contributed a lot of our hard-earned dollars to this important research and the CWRC must ensure those dollars are directed wherever they will produce the largest impact,” Hubbard says in a press release. “This review represents a proactive approach to ensuring farmer investments in public breeding programs continue to produce strong results we can see firsthand in our fields.”