Ralph Martin
About Ralph Martin
Ralph C. Martin grew up on his family farm in Wallenstein, ON. His Ph.D. is in Plant Science from McGill University. In 2001, he founded the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada. In 2011, he was appointed as professor and Loblaw Chair in Sustainable Food Production at the University of Guelph. In 2019, Martin retired and also ran for the Green Party in the Ontario riding of Wellington-Halton Hills. His book Food Security: From Excess to Enough is now available.
The world is facing a 'semi-dystopian' future
If our present path doesn't change drastically, the science seems to suggest we are likely to experience a collapse of civilization — and we'll have nobody but ourselves to blame.
The climate crisis waits for no one
Using uncertainty about the ecological and climate crisis as an excuse to wait and see is bad for business, bad for farming and bad for human health.
Save precious farmland for food
Of all the world’s crops, only 55 per cent of crop calories go directly toward people. The rest are allocated to biofuels or animal feed.
Wonky weather is coming for our crops
Conversations with farmers in hot and wildfire and flooded areas of B.C. or Fiona-battered, wildfire and flooded areas in Nova Scotia are sprinkled with exclamations of “So much loss!” But even Ontario farmers should prepare for wonky weather.
Cutting fertilizer use is possible — so let’s get on with it
For Canadian agriculture to meet its 30 per cent fertilizer emissions reduction target by 2030, it is critical to reduce the overall amount of nitrogen fertilizer used in Canada.
The upsides of high oil and food prices
In Europe and North America, high oil and food prices may be the jab in the ribs that will make us grumble until we see the benefits of wasting less, consuming less and focusing on higher values.
To save our food supply, we need all the prime farmland we can get
The market for Canadian food will grow, and Canadian farmland will increasingly become a global oasis. It is our reasonable service to protect it.
How Canadians can unpack planeloads of emissions
Beyond individual action, Canadians could accept a system that will tangibly assign financial costs to the increasing environmental impacts of flying so that those who choose to fly pay the bill, writes Ralph Martin.
Confessions of an optimistic Green
As rookie and returning MPs get ready for a new Parliament, federal Green Party member Ralph Martin expresses optimism despite his party's disappointing election results.
For the sake of our climate, we need to dial back what we eat and consume
It seems we’re consuming faster than 100 km/h when the safe speed is 30 to 50 km/h, writes Ralph Martin, author of Food Security: From Excess to Enough.