Exploring Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Innovation System
By: Melissa Jacobucci and Lucia Salvato
We are Melissa Jacobucci and Lucia Salvato, both fourth-year undergraduate students at Virginia Tech, studying Environmental Economics: Management and Policy. This year, we are fortunate to be involved with the Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) Initiative, participating in a research project focused on Saskatchewan agriculture and the factors shaping strategic decisions across the sector. This project gave us the opportunity to travel to Saskatchewan, Canada, in August 2026 with CALS Global/GAP Initiative colleagues Jessica Agnew, director of the GAP Initiative; Chellie Maples, senior project manager; and Mario Ortez, assistant professor and director of the AAEC Bridge Experience Program.
To understand why this project is important, Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Western Canada where agriculture plays a major role in the economy and produces the majority of Canada’s wheat, lentils, and peas. The GAP Initiative team is consulting with provincial crop boards representing canola, spring wheat, winter wheat, oats, durum, lentils, peas, and barley to analyze the province’s current agricultural research and development landscape, identify areas with the most unrealized potential, and provide recommendations for how checkoff dollars can be invested to strengthen Saskatchewan’s agri-food economy. Our role for this trip was to be researchers and offer a new perspective when listening and asking questions relating to the inner workings of the agriculture R&D system in Saskatchewan. We were eager to hear the varying perspectives and priorities of different key players throughout the agricultural system, from farmers and researchers to policymakers and industry professionals.
With many meetings set up throughout the week, this was a fantastic opportunity for us to apply the tools and skills we have learned in the classroom to a real-world project. We had the chance to see how the agri-food system works from the initial research and lab work to the crop being harvested on the farm. More than that, the experience gave us valuable insight into the world of research, consulting, and agricultural policy and allowed us to practice skills and engage in conversations that we otherwise may not have had the opportunity to experience as students.
Our agenda for the trip included meeting with a variety of individuals and teams involved in different stages of the agricultural process in Saskatoon, the largest city in Saskatchewan, and Regina, the capital of the province. We met with specialists at organizations like Bayer Crop Science and South Country Equipment that work directly with farmers and provide the technologies, products, and services they need to make decisions and produce crops. Other meetings included research centers like the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) and the Nutrien Digital Agriculture Research Centre, which are working to develop new technologies and innovations that can expand the possibilities for agricultural production. We also met with organizations like AgWest Bio and the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI), who highlighted the challenges of moving agricultural innovations from research and development into real-world adoption and the importance of greater collaboration across the agricultural system. Lastly, we had meetings with the SaskCrops organizations and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, which play important roles in shaping agricultural policy and supporting research and innovation in the region.
Through talking with partners across different phases of the agricultural innovation chain, we discovered just how complex and interconnected this system is. In order for advancement and innovation to succeed, communication and collaboration are key. We learned that understanding the different perspectives, unique barriers, and specific priorities of these groups will be important in providing meaningful insights for the SaskCrops project. These conversations were the most interesting and valuable parts of the trip, giving us a much better understanding of how the different pieces of the agricultural system come together.
As undergraduate students interested in economic policy and agricultural innovation, engaging with individuals and organizations ranging from scientists to policymakers was both exciting and intimidating. Initially, it was intimidating to sit in on meetings with individuals so knowledgeable and experienced in their field. However, as the meetings progressed, we found that everyone we met was very receptive and eager to answer any questions and share their insights. Their openness made these conversations much more approachable and reinforced the importance of asking questions, especially when trying to develop a well-rounded understanding of complex topics.
As a whole, this trip to Saskatchewan to meet with researchers and policymakers for a research project was a completely new experience for us. We went into every meeting with an open mind and a desire to gather as much information as possible, not only for the GAP Initiative, but also for ourselves as undergraduates to bring back to our courses and future career opportunities. While every day was a new lesson to be learned and a new experience to be had, we wanted to shed light on some of the most memorable moments from Saskatchewan.
One of the highlights of this trip was touring GIFS. Getting to tour a real agricultural research lab focusing on gene-editing and experiencing the “behind the scenes” of the agri-food system was eye-opening. It showed us how much more goes into producing the food we eat every day than the public often realizes. Agriculture extends far beyond the physical farm and involves a complex intersection of science, technology, research, and commercialization.
Another impactful moment was sitting in on the SaskCrops board meeting, which included representatives from SaskWheat, SaskOilseeds, SaskOats, SaskBarley, and SaskPulse. It was interesting to see how the different crop boards face unique challenges within their specific industries, while still coming together around the common goal of strengthening Saskatchewan’s agricultural sector. Their collaboration and open communication to work through challenges and share different perspectives was intriguing and inspiring. These discussions included valuable feedback about our project that we could bring back to Virginia Tech for continued work.
Going into this trip, our view of the agricultural field was fairly distinct, limited only to what we learned and saw in classroom settings. On this trip, however, we connected with farmers, scientists, and the people who funded and regulated their work, showing us just how complex and interconnected the system that gets food from the farm to your table really is. We were introduced to countless fields that we had not previously focused on being a part of the agricultural industry, including research, policy, data analysis, fieldwork, farm management, and more. One of our biggest takeaways is that regardless of your skills or interests, there are endless opportunities within the agriculture sector. This system is far more complex than even we, as agriculture students, realized, which helped shed light on why solutions to challenges in this field must be complex as well.
Coming into this project, the answer to “How do we make agriculture more productive?” seemed simple: better technology and better management. However, this experience showed us that innovation isn’t just about developing new technologies. It’s about understanding the people and organizations that will ultimately develop, implement, and use them. Navigating those connections and relationships is just as critical as inventing new technologies when it comes to advancing the field of agriculture. Without this trip and the opportunity to participate in these conversations, we would not have developed the same in-depth perspective of the agricultural system that we now have.
As undergraduate students, we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to travel with the GAP Initiative to one of Canada’s most agriculturally productive provinces. In truth, this was an experience that could never be replicated in a classroom. The work felt meaningful and important to Canada’s agricultural future, while also providing us with valuable real-world experience. We were able to gather information from experts, engage in meaningful conversations, and work through complex problems with those who experience these challenges firsthand.
As for the GAP Initiative, this was an incredible way for us to enter the project, as it gave us the background and context we needed to better understand the challenges facing Saskatchewan agriculture, while also providing new information and perspectives to bring back to Virginia Tech. We feel more connected to the work and goals of the project, which we believe will strengthen how we continue to collaborate, brainstorm, and contribute to the project throughout the semester.
