Shifting Figurative, Functional and Operational Borders: The Multiple Worlds of Agri-Food Trade and Border Regimes

Alberta’s agriculture and agri-food sector can be understood using four conceptualizations of borders. Natural borders consisting of the Rocky Mountains to the West, the Canadian Shield to the East, and vast stretches of prairie land in all directions, have posed serious challenges for the movement of goods to and from external markets. Traditional territorial borders encapsulating political jurisdictions separate Alberta from its provincial neighbours to the East and West, territorial neighbour to the North, and American cousins to the South, have defined Alberta’s closest relationships. Functional borders consist of the meso-level social structures directly involved in policy making and ultimately border regimes. Finally, paradigmatic borders that have defined the major debates, issues and character of agriculture and trade policy. Using these conceptual tools to examine each major commodity subsector reveals an interesting mix of international, continental, and regional focuses. Increasing specialization among agricultural operations and increasing value-added food processing, have meant that the border focus of individual business operations is diverse. The main challenge for Alberta is simultaneously working to keep the US border open, while simultaneously gaining access to a greater diversity of trade partners. This will involve a focus on effective transportation, food safety, and competitiveness.