Striking the Balance: Proactive Strategy versus Reactive Response
A new report released today by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) calls for a shift toward proactive, comprehensive risk management to strengthen the long term resilience of Canadian agriculture. Striking the Balance: Proactive Strategy versus Reactive Response authored by Farm Management Canada urges government and industry to look beyond traditional Business Risk Management (BRM) programs and embrace a modernized, nationally aligned approach that equips farmers to better anticipate and manage risk; not just recover from it.
“Too often when risk management is talked about in agriculture policy it is only about business risk management programs, but risk management is much more than that,” said Tyler McCann, Managing Director, CAPI. “This paper highlights the proactive and reactive ways that farmers can approach risk management and encourages policies that support more proactive risk management. Changing the risk management policy landscape so that it aligns with how farmers approach risk management is essential to effective risk management policy.”
The report provides a practical, farm enterprise wide framework—spanning People, Finance, Markets, Production, Business Environment, and Business Strategy—to help align policy, support services, and farm practices around prevention and preparedness when it comes to managing farm risk. It highlights how over reliance on reactive BRM programs can discourage alternatives and leave critical capability gaps at the farm level, while proactive planning and skills development can build confidence, reduce stress, and improve performance and long-term returns.
“It’s no secret that Canada’s farmers are under immense pressure,” says Heather Watson, Executive Director, Farm Management Canada. “We need to acknowledge these are not just business risks; these are human risks. A farmer who constantly feels one disaster away from collapse is a farmer who’s not able to think and act strategically, which presents a major problem for long-term farm and sector-wide prosperity. When farmers are equipped with the right tools, education, and support, they are empowered to navigate uncertainty rather than paralyzed by it.”
This report was prepared for the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute by Farm Management Canada.
For more information, contact:
Mathieu Lipari, Program Manager
Farm Management Canada
mathieu(at)FMC-GAC.com
2025 National Agriculture Risk Management Forum Report
A National Agriculture Risk Management Forum was held in Ottawa on February 10, 2025. The Forum was hosted by Farm Management Canada in partnership with the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) and gathered a diverse cross-section of members of the agricultural community including farmers, farm advisors, industry associations, lenders, insurers, and private industry service providers to share insights and ideas, and carve out a path towards making meaningful progress in improving Canada’s approach to managing farm risk.
The 2025 Forum was designed to continue to expand on the recommendations established during previous Forums, which had outlined a framework to encourage farmers, key industry service providers and governments to drive the application of a comprehensive approach to managing risk, and proactive measures to mitigate risks faced by Canadian farmers. The 2025 Forum focused on understanding the evolving risk landscape for Canada’s farmers, assessing the approaches, programs and tools available to mitigate and manage these risks, and determine the roles that various sector players, including farmers, can play in the face of emerging challenges and increasing uncertainty.
The discussions held during the Forum are summarized in this report, which contains key recommendations sector players including governments, industry, and farmers.
For more information, contact:
Mathieu Lipari, Program Manager
Farm Management Canada
mathieu(at)FMC-GAC.com