The future of agriculture: Empowering the next generation of Canadian farmers

Canadian agriculture is facing a major challenge, as sweeping demographic changes drive a generational transfer of farm assets that will define the sector’s future. The makeup of the farming population is shifting. By 2026, more than half of Canada’s farm operators are expected to be over the age of 60, while the number of young farmers under 40 is projected to remain stagnant (Figure 1). The average age of farm operators continues to rise — from 55 in 2016 to a projected 57 in 2026. Farm exits are outpacing new entries, with an average of 3,500 farm exits through closure or consolidation into corporate family farms each year between 1996 and 2021.

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