Labour and staff shortages in horticulture are not a new problem. The Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council reported in 2018, labour shortages cost the greenhouse industry more than $100 million; the field fruit and vegetable growing sector more than $400 million, and the tree fruit and vine sector $94 million. By 2029, the CAHRC predicts the domestic labour gap to be greater than 50 per cent across these three sectors.

What can we do as an industry to attract and retain qualified workers? What are some of the barriers to hiring and engaging the next generation of horticulturalists? What does the ideal candidate look like? How has technology played a role? These are just some of the questions we asked a group of panellists from a variety of industry roles during the Growing Horticulture roundtable discussion, hosted by Greenhouse Canada magazine and Fruit & Vegetable magazine.

In part one and part two of this series, learn about our speakers and their perspectives as growers, educators and industry partners, and hear some of the challenges they face when it comes to hiring, training and retaining staff. Stay tuned for Part 3: The ideal candidate, and Part 4: Opportunities, in the coming weeks.