- in 2001, 20.6% of the Canadian population was considered rural, down from 22.8% in 1991 (1)
- between 1991 and 1996, rural population growth occurred in 10 or the 13 provinces/territories; between 1996 and 2001, 9 provinces/territories experienced rural population contraction (1)
- between the 2001 and 2006 censuses, there was a 7.1% decline in the number of farm operations and a 5.5% decline in farm operators - a loss of nearly 20,000 farmers (2)
- the farm population continues to age with the number of farmers under 35 delining to 9.1% by 2006 and the overall average age of Canadian farmers rising from 49% in 2001 to 52 in 2006 (2)
- the farming economy is tighter than ever: between 2001 and 2006 the Farm Input Price Index (cost of products and tools) rose 8.6% while the Farm Product Price Index (price farmers get for their goods) rolse only 1.7%. As a result only 55.8% of farms are making enough gross income to cover their cost of production and by 2006, 48.4% of Canadian farmers were obliged to find jobs off the farm to cover their bills (3).
- in the decade from 1996 to 2005 farm debt has increased a total of 85% (4)
- average realized net income for farms has been falling (annual income after expenses and depreciation): $1,837 in 2003; $9,840 in 2004; $8,390 in 2005; $7,299 in 2006; and $6,317 in 2007 (4)
- for the 1991-1996-2001 census years, the incidence of low income in rural areas declined - while it rose in urban areas (largely related to housing cost differences) (3)
(LICO - low income cut-off)
Sources:
1. Government of Canada, National Rural Profile: A Ten-Year Census Analysis (1991-2001) http://www.rural.gc.ca/RURAL/display-afficher.do?id=1245156720975&lang=eng
2. Canadian Federation of Agriculture: http://www.cfa-fca.ca/pages/index.php?main_id=373
3. Government of Canada, Rural Poverty Discussion Paper http://www.rural.gc.ca/RURAL/display-afficher.do?id=1247249990335&lang=eng
4. Canadian Federation of Agriculture, 'Measuring the Farm Income Crisis' (2007)
No comments:
Post a Comment