New Reports & Case Studies on our Agri-Food Sector
In collaboration with the Greenbelt Foundation, the Golden Horseshoe Food and Farm Alliance has released two new reports, Understanding How Greenbelt Agriculture Feeds the Regional Economy and Greenbelt Farmers: Economic Network Case Studies. Together these reports tell the story of the complexity of the agricultural and agri-food sector in the Greenbelt and Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH), its relationships with other sectors, and the value of agriculture and agri-food businesses to the region’s economy.
The first report, Understanding How Greenbelt Agriculture Feeds the Regional Economy, identifies the level of agriculture production in the Greenbelt and follows that production through the value chain, tracing downstream economic activity to its source—Greenbelt agricultural production. This approach facilitates an understanding of how both the province of Ontario and individual segments of the economy benefit from primary agriculture in the Greenbelt. The research found that the Greenbelt’s agri-food sector generated $4.1B in GDP and close to 59,000 jobs. This shows that a strong and stable farming and food sector is critical to Ontario’s economy, now and into the future.
The second report, Greenbelt Farmers: Economic Network Case Studies, tells the stories of seven local Greenbelt farms. It provides insight that is not always apparent through a more statistical overview of the agricultural system. These stories shed light on successes, challenges, and opportunities associated with farming within the Greenbelt, and offer policy insights direct from the farm.
Please feel free to share these reports with anyone who may be interested!
