Each year, the Ministry of Agriculture conducts polling to gain insight into the public’s perception of the agri-food industry. The 2024 Public Trust Survey asked 800 Saskatchewan residents 10 questions to gauge their perception of agriculture in the province.
The survey results showed Saskatchewan residents continue to have a positive view of agriculture, with 84 per cent of respondents indicating a positive perception. Although this is below the ministry target of 85 per cent, the overall average has proven to be very high at 87.4 per cent of residents indicating a positive perception of agriculture over the last 12 years.
Saskatchewan residents showed strong public confidence that farmers and ranchers are good stewards of the land, sustaining the environment for future generations. Two-thirds of the respondents support the use of crop protection products such as herbicides, fungicides and insecticides.
This year, the survey included two new questions, one on irrigation and the other on food affordability. Close to two-thirds of the Saskatchewan residents surveyed feel that irrigation expansion brings benefits to the province. Close to 60 per cent believe Saskatchewan agriculture is making strides to keep food affordable. As food affordability continues to be a top concern for most Canadians, linking the use of crop technologies and innovations to keeping food affordable will help the public to see the benefit of these practices.
Saskatchewan residents continued to show lower positive perceptions on the effectiveness of government regulations and industry transparency about its practices. These results suggest the importance of better informing consumers about Saskatchewan's robust regulatory framework and encouraging producers and industry to share more information about how food is grown and processed.
A review of the demographic analysis of survey respondents determined that engaging with women, specifically from urban areas, would likely have the greatest impact on efforts to build trust in agriculture. This demographic group was more likely to be unsure of how to respond to survey questions compared to men. Through targeted educational outreach, industry may be able to help increase the understanding of modern agriculture for women living in urban areas, allowing them to share their agreement or disagreement with future survey questions.
In February 2024, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture hired Insightrix Research to conduct a focus group of urban women, aged 18-44 to better understand perception drivers and determine ways to effectively communicate with this target group. This study found that the majority of participants have a positive impression of Saskatchewan agriculture, however, only have a limited understanding of the industry.
The results for both the survey and the focus groups show us we are on the right track with our mission to build trust in modern agriculture and to connect consumers with the food they love.