Review: Industry levy-funded pulse crop research in Canada: Evidence from the prairie provinces

Abstract

Since the 1970s the prairies provinces have become a major producer of pulse crops, attributed to diversified cropping systems and the adoption of improved cultivars. This article reviews pulse production trends and research funding for pulse crop research, emphasizing both the contribution of governments and public research institutions/industry arrangements in shaping the growth of the pulse sector. The expansion of pulse production has not been associated with rapid increases in publicly funded research. The study found that industry-/ producer-funded research as a share of pulse farm cash receipts has been larger in Saskatchewan and Manitoba than in Alberta. Moreover, the unique consortium arrangement of funding pulse research in Alberta by the provincial government has resulted in larger research intensities than for provincial government funding in Saskatchewan or Manitoba. Furthermore, the intellectual property protection of pulse cultivars since the enactment of the Plant Breeders' Rights Act in 1990 has increased Canadian producers' access to field pea cultivars developed by foreign seed companies.