Foreign Affairs committee  I apologize, but it's not my area of expertise to comment on that specific issue, other than to say that when one thinks about the movement of materials through the supply chain, one realizes that it takes a while for things to clear the supply chain and to see where prices move to.

Foreign Affairs committee  That would be my hope, but it also relies on our ability to continue to produce material. The carry-over in crop production is less each year, and being able to make sure that we can move the product into the right place helps with price points. We're seeing countries like Argentina undergo a significant drought, and they're importing soybeans to fill their crush capacity there, so again we're seeing the global nature of food and the impact on moving food around the world.

Foreign Affairs committee  Okay.

Foreign Affairs committee  I think as a general statement that anything we can do to improve the performance of crops is a positive outcome. It does not resolve the challenge of disruptions of the infrastructure through war, but again, it's an integrated system, so being able to enhance the resiliency and production at the farm level is the first step in building a sustainable food system.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you for that question. We at the Global Institute for Food Security, as well as partners here at the University of Saskatchewan, in particular Dr. Carol Henry in the pharmacy and nutrition department, were invited to submit a proposal to Global Affairs Canada to build capacity in Africa on and around the topic of not only food production but also around the nutrition component.

Foreign Affairs committee  I think that one thing we have to recognize here in Canada as a nation is that we're a net exporter of food, but we do see food insecurity and food deserts in regions as well. We need to recognize that there's an opportunity for us when we look at northern communities and large cities about how we address food insecurity in those locales.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you. Regarding solutions for Ukraine, the biggest challenge is the fact that they're in a war zone, and the easiest solution to resolve the issue is to resolve the war in a successful outcome that enables us to have a world framework that allows us to continue to prosper and not create more problems globally.

Foreign Affairs committee  It goes through the entire area. Obviously where the fighting is taking place is heavily disrupted, but we also see reports of disruption through the entire channel—disruption at port facilities, both on the Danube and on the Black Sea, as well as disruptions in other parts of the system.

Foreign Affairs committee  I had an opportunity to chair a panel at the Global Business Forum with the former head of the UN World Food Programme, and the discussion we had was very illuminating. Syria remains a mess. Afghanistan is a disaster in terms of its ability to provide food. This situation is not just the result of conflict but also because natural disasters have taken place in those countries as well.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you.

Foreign Affairs committee  I'll make a couple of quick comments regarding that. I think it's part of the package that Canada can offer the world, but it's coupled with our ability to be a sustainable and reliable supplier of food, because again, as I mentioned before, we're one of a few countries that are net exporters, and we do it in a very sustainable way.

Foreign Affairs committee  That is correct.

Foreign Affairs committee  We saw that earlier this year with labour disruptions as well as with infrastructure capacity and capability.

Foreign Affairs committee  I think that's one of the reasons that, from a Global Institute for Food Security perspective, there needs to be investment in infrastructure to be able to be a reliable supplier. We do not have that reputation today because when you're at the bottom of the list, the ability to move product is hampered.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you for the question. I'm glad you mentioned the innovation that started here in Canada regarding the development of no-till and minimum-till technology. One of the things we've seen here in Canada, particularly in western Canada, is incredibly high rates of adoption—over 90%.