Sustaining Regional Agri-Business Ecosystems in a World of Increasing Education and Migration

Canada’s ageing agricultural owner base has created a succession planning crisis for its prominent agri-business and agri-food industry sector. Economists have reported that 40% of Canadian farm operators are expected to retire by 2033, and that 66% of producers do not have a succession plan in place. A perfect storm is brewing alongside the lack of farm succession in the agri-business sector. The labour force is diminishing as many nations experience rapid ageing of their populations. In response, Canada has developed a proactive immigration strategy, and it currently welcomes half a million immigrants each year. In this chapter, we consider two research questions: (1) How might we leverage immigrant human capital to sustain and reinvigorate agri-business? (2) How can we engage the agri-business ecosystem to sustain family farms? Furthermore, we explore academic literature that could offer valuable insights into developing and piloting the matching and succession process. We also examine current programming through narratives of immigrant farmers. The conceptual discussion provides a base for future qualitative and quantitative testing in a relatively unresearched cross-over area between the entrepreneurship and the agriculture fields of research. We consider how the career and entrepreneurial support provided by post-secondary institutions through their relationships with international students, edu-immigrants, and local farmers can support sustainable economic activity in regional agri-business ecosystems. We help shape an evolving practical strategy to address ecosystem sustainability through a rigorous academic theory-based lens. The results have ramifications for policy and practice both within and beyond one of Canada's most essential industries.