The future success and prosperity of Canada's agri-food industry to a large degree will depend on producers and processors working closely with researchers in labs and test plots across the country. The fruits of this work will help the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector lead in food safety, innovation and environmentally responsible production.

In this country, there are many important players in agri-food research. The APF's Science and Innovation element emphasizes a team approach among governments, universities and the private sector to maximize Canada's research resources. Science dollars must be invested in priority areas that make the most difference to producers, industry and Canadians.

To achieve this, one of the important first steps under the Science and Innovation element will be strategic plans for fostering innovation. These plans will involve entire value chains. This includes everyone who has a hand in producing and getting an agri-food product to market from farmers to processors to distributors.

What's produced on the farm could become the base of whole new industries in Canada. Working with scientists, producers could grow commodities with special character-istics that meet processors' specifications to generate innovative products for new markets.

These innovations will certainly include new foods, but thanks to science, agricultural production will be the source of a wider range of new non-food products. Some areas include medicine, health and nutrition, fuels, and building materials, to name just a few.