Bookshelf

Articles can explain one question at a time. Understanding how the food system fits together takes longer, and the usual way in is a good textbook, a structured course or the free statistics and reports that agencies publish. This page collects the kinds of reading and study that suit the issues we cover. Where a bookseller or course provider works with us through an affiliate network, its panel is labelled.

Books on food and farm economics

An introductory agricultural economics textbook is still the fastest way to understand supply and demand for farm products, why farm prices swing more than retail prices, and how policy changes the incentives farmers face. Look for an edition published in the last ten years, with chapters on trade and on risk.

For supply management, the best reading is often the plain record: the Canadian Dairy Commission's annual reports, the trade agreement chapters on dairy, poultry and eggs, and parliamentary committee reports on the system. Read the debate explained first, then the reform options.

On food prices and retail, books on the history of the grocery trade and on how retailers buy and price explain more than any single forecast. Pair them with our pieces on food prices.

Affiliate note The panel below links to a partner. If you enrol or buy through it, George Morris Centre may receive a commission; the price you pay is the same. Partners have no say over what we publish.

Courses

University courses on agribusiness management, food systems and agricultural economics are widely available online, many with free audit options. Before you enrol, read the syllabus and check the weekly hours, who teaches it and whether the certificate is paid. If you farm or work in a food business, ask whether a provincial program or your employer covers training costs.

Free public sources

• Statistics Canada publishes the Census of Agriculture, farm income and the food components of the Consumer Price Index.
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada publishes sector profiles, trade data and program details.
• The Canadian Dairy Commission publishes milk production, quota and pricing information.
• The Canadian Grain Commission explains grading and publishes quality data for each crop year.
• Provincial ministries of agriculture publish cost-of-production budgets and crop planning guides.

These sources are where the facts in our articles come from, and they are free.