An Assessment of the Impact of Rural Non-Farm Development on ...

<strong>Impact</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Rural</strong> <strong>Non</strong>-<strong>Farm</strong> <strong>Development</strong> on <strong>the</strong> Viability <strong>of</strong> Agriculture: Literature Review1.2 Significance and <strong>Development</strong> <strong>of</strong> Ontario’s AgriculturalIndustry1.2.1 Significance <strong>of</strong> Ontario’s Agricultural IndustryDespite tremendous changes in <strong>the</strong> twentieth century in terms <strong>of</strong> economicdevelopment and urbanization, agriculture remains a critical element in our daily lives inOntario (Bryant, Russworm and McLellan, 1982; Bryant and Johnston, 1992).Theagricultural industry in Ontario is significant at both <strong>the</strong> national and provincial levels.Figure 1.1 illustrates that Ontario led all provinces in farm cash receipts in 2000, withapproximately 24% <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> national total (Statistics Canada, 2001b). Ontario alsoaccounted for 24% <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> nation’s farms in 2000 (Statistics Canada, 2001b).Figure 1.1 <strong>Farm</strong> Cash Receipts by Province, Canada, 2001Source: Statistics Canada, 2001c, Catalogue No. 21-603.Ontario is an economic powerhouse within Canadian agriculture, with its totalgross farm receipts totalling just over $9.1 billion in 2000 (Statistics Canada, 2001b).- 3 -