We aim to provide transparent and reliable information about how your food is grown.
Looking at each issue from different perspectives.
The Simpson Centre is an academic policy institute that supports Canadian agri-food and agriculture, affiliated with the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. Our aim is to mobilize research for better policymaking and decision-making to realize a more sustainable agricultural industry. Strengthening the sustainability of agri-food and agribusiness means increasing food production to feed a growing global population, while attending to social and health impacts and the natural environment.
Our three key areas of research:
- Agriculture and Society — population health and environment;
- Agriculture and Economics — sustainable productivity;
- Agricultural Literacy — public education and outreach.
The Simpson Centre remains neutral throughout its research process and in its research outputs. We connect researchers, everyday people, industry stakeholders and government actors to scientific issues critical to the future of Canada’s agricultural and food system. In a digital information age, where the boundary between fact and science is blurred, we’re looking to help foster collaborations based on information that can be trusted.
OUR IMPACTS.
As a Knowledge Broker, the Simpson Centre aims to:
- Connect different audiences – by supporting information sharing between previously separated audiences: researchers, industry, government, and public.
- Improve public understanding of the processes involved in making and providing food, as well as government regulations and infrastructure needed to maintain an inclusive and resilient food system.
- Host experiments in collaborative policymaking, where people with different perspectives are brought together to negotiate for solutions with the commitment of government to create new policies based on their recommendations.
- Evaluate our knowledge brokering activities for food and agriculture to encourage feedback and be responsive.
Learn more about the Simpson Centre’s research and impacts in our Annual Report.
Annual Report, 2022-2023
Previous Annual Report (2021-22).
Research Areas
Environment & Climate Change
Resilient and responsible agriculture practices to reduce environmental impacts
Agriculture as a major resource sector
Agriculture is big in Canada, quietly impacting all aspects of our daily lives
Some Canadian agriculture and food stats.
$56 Billion
2017 Canadian agri-food exports
22%
Share of Canada’s agriculture & agri-food GDP made up of crop production
11%
Percent of total ag exports that was canola in 2017, Canada’s biggest agri-food export