On diversification

CanWest reports on a conference looking to promote agroforestry in Saskatchewan:

A goal Calvert had set out in his throne speech on Nov. 7 was to transform 10 per cent of arable land to agroforestry over the next 20 years.

The conference will focus on opportunities and research requirements for developing an agroforestry industry, and is concerned with promoting farm diversification.

"We live in a world where...there are more housing starts in China this year than there are housing units in Canada. The growing market for finished wood product, worldwide, is going to be significant," Calvert said...

Rob Woodward, CEO of the Saskatchewan Forest Center, said the program looks economically feasible. At the moment, 1,500 acres of land are being used for a demonstration network...

Ken Van Rees from the College of Agriculture said (high startup) costs could be worth the effort...

"If you look at crop prices today and you look at it over a 20-year period ... your value or return on (trees) is probably more than having 20 years of an agricultural crop," Van Rees said.

Particularly given the lack of reason to believe that the province's agricultural industry can make money as currently constituted, there's plenty of potential for agroforestry to be a positive addition to the scene...provided that farmers are interested in the message from the conference and from the provincial government. Hopefully they'll be combining their understandable frustration with the federal government with an eye to the future, and can make agroforestry another growth industry in the province.