MEDIA RELEASE: 14 June 2019 – R00104

The agribusiness sector in Niagara runs the full spectrum from basic operations to high-end industrial processes and from world-renowned viticulture to cash crop, dairy farms and greenhouses growing flowers, fruit, vegetables and, more recently, cannabis.

The region’s $1.4-billion annual agribusiness sector is world-class by any standard when looking at its assets and strengths.

But Niagara shouldn’t be complacent about past successes, says new research coming out of Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO) in collaboration with the Niagara Region Economic Development Division.

“Key to a sector’s success is the ability to link to other sectors through research and innovation,” says NCO Director Charles Conteh. “Synergies among Niagara’s agribusiness, manufacturing and tourism sectors will enhance Niagara’s economy, ensuring that the region is resilient and adaptable in the face of change.”

Conteh is the author of the NCO’s latest policy brief, “Niagara’s Agribusiness Sector: Towards a More Resilient Innovation Cluster.”

The brief provides a portrait of recent trends in the sector in Niagara relative to similar mid-sized regions elsewhere in southern Ontario. It then discusses how to further leverage the potential of agribusiness and address existing problems in pursuit of greater resilience and adaptability.

Conteh will be presenting the brief Tuesday, June 18 at 9:30 a.m. at the Meridian Community Centre in Pelham. Registration for the event is sold out but it is open to the media.

What: Presentation of NCO policy brief “Niagara’s Agribusiness Sector: Towards a More Resilient Innovation Cluster”

When: Tuesday, June 18 from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

Where: Dr. Gary and Mall Accursi Room, Meridian Community Centre, Pelham

Who: Charles Conteh, Director of the Niagara Community Observatory; Ian Tate, Senior Relationship Manager, Farm Credit Canada; Lyndon Ashton, Centre Manager, Canadian Food and Wine Institute Innovation Centre; Darren Ward, Manager, Business Planning and Commercialization, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre; Bradley Mclean, Associate Director, Innovation and Commercialization, Brock University

For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

* Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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