Page 13 - RealDirtENG2020

QUICK
FACT
Ontario’s ginseng industry began in 1704, when Jesuit priests rst discovered the root growing in the wild. Ginseng was Canada’s
rst trade with China44.
Medicinal crops
Some farmers grow crops not as food, but as medicine. Ginseng is one such example—the root was traditionally used in Chinese and Indigenous medicine, but has now found wider use as a stress-reducer, and to promote overall well-being. Canada
is a global leader in the production of North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), and more than two-thirds of the entire crop is grown in a small area of Southwestern Ontario. Ginseng beds are easily recognizable, as they’re covered by shade cloth structures—that’s because the plants must be grown in 70 - 80 per cent shade.
Cannabis is another crop that is now increasingly being grown in Canada, both
for medicinal and recreational uses. Licensed growers grow the crop primarily in greenhouses, under very strict rules and regulations. In 2018, Canada became the second country in the world to legalize use of recreational marijuana, although health- related uses had been allowed for longer.
Ginseng
Ontario Ginseng Growers Association
Growing for sacred ceremonies
Tobacco, cedar, sweet grass, and sage are the four sacred plants of Indigenous peoples. Tobacco plays a major role in every stage of life
for some Indigenous cultures—the smoke is believed to be a pathway to the spirit world, carrying all thoughts, feelings, and prayers to the Creator45. University of Saskatchewan has been conducting trials growing traditional Nicotiana rustica or ceremonial tobacco, harvesting its rst crop in 2019, and sharing plants and seeds with local Indigenous populations46.
Cold SnapTM Pears
Vineland Growers Co-operative
Canadian crops for the Canadian climate
Our climate varies across the country, but winters pretty much anywhere in Canada are cold, with plenty of snow, and we only have a few warm summer months. Our crops have to be strong enough to survive those extremes, and plants that grow well in warmer climates don’t always produce well in Canada. That’s why Canadian plant breeders work hard to develop new varieties that love Canadian weather in all parts of the country!
New corn and soybean varieties can now be grown in cooler regions of the country. Cold SnapTM Pear is a popular, winter-hardy new pear variety developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada fruit breeders.
Radiance is a tasty sweet potato developed for Canadian farmers at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, where they’re also breeding hardy, low maintenance, and disease-resistant Canadian roses.
What is old is new again
Some Canadian farmers are looking to the past to nd new niche products, and are growing vegetable and fruit varieties, and raising livestock breeds that were common 50 or 100 years ago, but are no longer used in modern food production.
They are called “heritage breeds” or “heirloom varieties” and often have unique avours and other traits, like disease resistance or drought tolerance. That’s why they’re popular with
chefs and food lovers, but also with plant and animal breeders who are looking for ways to make crops and livestock healthier and better able to withstand climate change.
One example is canary seed, a crop in development in Saskatchewan for human consumption under the name “alpiste”. It’s a member of the same cereal grain family as wheat, oats, barley, and rye, and is gluten-free, nutrient dense, and high in protein.
Chapter 2: Crops and plants 13