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The Economy > Primary industries > Farming in Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Mechanization on the farm
The rapid mechanization of agriculture has forever transformed the face of Canadian farming. In 1921, there were 22 agricultural workers for every tractor and combine. Today, there are more than twice as many tractors and combines as agricultural workers. (850,000 tractors and combines; 329,000 workers). Millions of Canadian workers made redundant by mechanization moved to the cities in pursuit of different lifestyles, and traditional family farms began to give way to increasingly automated 'megafarms.' As a result, the productivity of Canadian agriculture has soared. Though the size of the average farm has grown almost threefold since the 1930s, technological advances are helping farmers produce enough to feed more than 11 times as many people today. In 1935, the average farm provided for 11 people; by 2001, 121 Canadians lived off one farm’s output. Today, it takes a mere 3% of Canada's population to feed the remaining 97%, with food left over for export to other parts of the world. Farming in Canada is big business. Large farms are as complicated and costly as factories. Heavy investments in land, stock, buildings and equipment must be made. Many farm operators have graduated from agriscience programs at college or university, and spend a significant part of their time balancing the books and learning about pesticides, fertilizers and financing. New technologies also play a role in the management of today's farms, as farmers turn to satellites to maximize their production yields and to the Internet to research international markets and trade their commodities. Many modern tools have created options and debates—such as those over genetically modified foods—that were unimaginable a generation ago.
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The Canada e-Book
(11-404-XIE)
is based on the
2001 Canada Year Book
(11-402-XPE).
