Canadian Agricultural Partnership: Building a Strong Agriculture and Agri-Food Sector

Applications for Federal Programs Now Open

OTTAWA, Feb. 13, 2018 /CNW/ - Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector is a key driver of economic growth, innovation and trade. Economic indicators show a strong and dynamic Canadian agricultural sector, with a growing global middle class looking for our world-class products.

Federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister, Lawrence MacAulay, celebrated Canada's Agriculture Day alongside farmers, ranchers, food processors, industry leaders and youth today in Ottawa, where he officially launched the six federal programs under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (see Backgrounder).

The Partnership is a progressive $3-billion, federal-provincial-territorial agreement that will help chart the course for government investments in the sector over the next five years.

Developed with input from provincial and territorial partners, as well as industry, federal programs and activities under the Partnership will focus on three key areas:

• Growing trade and expanding markets ($297 million) - Providing core industry services, such as timely market information and sector expertise to help improve the sector's competitiveness, growth and adaptability. Advancing and defending international trade interests, as well as improving market development and market access activities to address emerging needs of the sector, and of small and medium enterprises (SME). This will help expand markets and trading opportunities for the sector.
• Innovative and sustainable growth of the sector ($690 million) - Enhancing the competitiveness of the sector through research, science and innovation, and adoption of innovative products and practices, with an emphasis on the environment and clean growth. The Government will help support the resiliency and sustainability of the sector, helping farmers adapt to climate change, conserve water and soil resources, and grow their businesses sustainably to meet increasing global food demand.
• Supporting diversity and a dynamic, evolving sector ($166.5 million) - Strengthening the sector by better reflecting the diversity of Canadian communities, enhancing collaboration across different jurisdictions through a new Regional Collaborative Partnerships Program, securing and supporting public trust in the sector, and improving client services.

These three key areas include $686.5 million over five years in federal programs, and $467 million of federally funded activities that benefit producers and processors and address priorities identified by the agricultural sector during consultations in the development of the framework. These investments will support trade policy and market access, trade commissioners, market development, market information, value chain roundtables, foundational science led by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and support for regulatory systems and regional collaboration.

Budget 2017 clearly outlines a strong commitment to the agriculture and agri-food sector and its importance to the Canadian economy. It outlines investments inside and outside the Canadian Agricultural Partnership to help the agriculture and food sector reach new heights. Specifically, Budget 2017 includes a strengthened focus on trade, along with investments in the areas of innovation through the $950 million, five-year, Innovation Superclusters Initiative, infrastructure, and value-added industries through the $1.2 billion Strategic Innovation Fund, which will all help Canada unleash the sector's growth potential.

Quote

"The Canadian Agricultural Partnership reinforces the Government of Canada's strong agenda for agriculture. These initiatives will focus on priorities such as growing trade and expanding markets, innovation and sustainable growth of the sector, and supporting diversity and a dynamic, evolving sector. These investments will help ensure Canada's agricultural sector remains a leader in job creation and innovation, and will help achieve our objective of expanding agricultural exports to $75 billion by 2025."
- Lawrence MacAulay, Minister, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Quick Facts

• The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a $3-billion, five-year investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen and grow Canada's agricultural sector. It includes $2 billion in federal, provincial and territorial cost-shared strategic initiatives, and $1 billion for federal activities and programs.
• Program details and applications are now available online for the six federal programs: AgriMarketing, AgriCompetitiveness, AgriScience, AgriInnovate, AgriDiversity and AgriAssurance.
• In addition to the $3 billion investment in strategic initiatives under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, farmers will continue to have access to a robust suite of business risk management (BRM) programs. Changes to the BRM programs that come into effect for the 2018 program year are available here.

Associated Links

• Federal programs under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
• AgPal
• Canadian Agricultural Partnership: Setting the foundation for our farmers and food processors
• Strategic Innovation Fund (Innovation, Science and Economic Development)
• Superclusters in Canada

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Backgrounder
Federal Activities and Programs

Federally-funded activities and programs to support sector growth focus on three key areas:

• Growing trade and expanding markets - $297 million
• Innovative and sustainable growth in the sector - $690 million
• Supporting diversity and a dynamic, evolving sector - $166.5 million

Federal program details and application forms are now available on the program web pages linked below. Funding will begin April 1, 2018.

Growing Trade and Expanding Markets

Helping the sector meet the Government's ambitious goal to grow Canada's agriculture and food exports to $75 billion by 2025. Providing core industry services, such as timely market information and sector expertise helps improve the sector's competitiveness, growth and adaptability. Advancing and defending international trade interests, as well as improving market development and market access activities to address emerging needs of the sector, and of small and medium enterprises (SME), will help expand markets and trading opportunities for the sector.

AgriMarketing Program
A five-year, up to $121 million federal initiative to help the industry increase and diversify exports to international markets and seize market opportunities. The program supports industry-led promotional activities that differentiate Canadian products and producers, and leverage Canada's reputation for high quality and safe food. The program also helps some sectors maintain their domestic market.

The AgriMarketing program offers funding through two components: 

National Industry Association Funding provided will assist industry associations address a market access issue, develop a new market, or expand or maintain an existing market, through activities such as: industry-wide advertising and promotion, exploratory missions, market research, participation in industry meetings or trade shows. Open to not-for-profit organizations in the agriculture, agri-food, agri-based products sector, including fish and seafood, operating on either a national or regional basis.

Small and medium-sized enterprises – Funding provided will assist for-profit organizations expand into international markets though activities such as marketing and advertising, food service promotions, trade seminars, technical training for buyers, market development. Open to for-profit organizations operating in the agriculture, agri-food, agri-based products sector, including fish and seafood, such as businesses and corporations, co-operatives, and Indigenous organizations. 

AgriCompetitiveness Program 
A five-year, up to $20.5 million program to assist industry-led efforts to provide producers with information needed to build capacity and support the sector's development. Funding will support sector-led activities such as farmer-oriented seminars, and conferences that identify industry best practices and build the capacity of the sector, farm business management, farm safety information and tools, as well as activities which raise agricultural awareness. Open to not-for-profit organizations including associations in Canada and Indigenous organizations.

Innovative and Sustainable Growth in the Sector

Enhancing the competitiveness of the sector through research, science and innovation, and adoption of innovative products and practices, with an emphasis on sustainable and clean growth. The Government will help support the resiliency and sustainability of the sector, helping farmers adapt to climate change, conserve water and soil resources, and grow their businesses sustainably to meet increasing global food demand sustainably.

AgriScience Program
A five-year, up to $338 million initiative to support leading edge discovery and applied science, and innovation driven by industry research priorities. Designed to accelerate the pace of innovation, the program supports pre-commercialization activities and invests in cutting-edge research to benefit the agricultural and agri-food sector.

The AgriScience program offers funding through two components: 

Clusters Funding provided will support industry-led and commodity specific science and research projects that address priority themes and horizontal issues, and coordinate research activities across Canada. Clusters are required to address environment and climate change issues unique to their sector and are encouraged to support research dissemination, extension and decision support tools for producers. Open to not-for-profit and for-profit organizations, Indigenous groups in the agriculture, agri-food, agri-based products sector. Note: Application intake for the Clusters component has now closed.

ProjectsFunding provided will support specific shorter-term science projects to help industry overcome challenges and address fiscal barriers experienced by small and emerging sectors. Project activities must address key industry and government priorities. Open to not-for-profit and for-profit organizations, Indigenous groups in the agriculture, agri-food, agri-based products sector.

AgriInnovate Program
A five-year, up to $128 million initiative to accelerate the demonstration, commercialization, and/or adoption of innovative agri-based products, technologies, processes or services that increase agri-sector competitiveness and sustainability. The program will provide repayable contributions on projects that:

• demonstrate a recently proven innovation
• adopt new or world leading agricultural products, technologies or services in clean technology, automation or robotics, and precision agriculture
• introduce significant improvement to the value-added sector
• provide new opportunities, or expand existing export opportunities

Open to for-profit organizations operating in the agriculture, agri-food, agri-based products sector such as businesses and corporations, co-operatives, and Indigenous organizations. 

Supporting Diversity and a Dynamic, Evolving Sector

Strengthening the sector by better reflecting the diversity of our communities, enhancing collaboration across different jurisdictions, securing and supporting public trust in the sector, and improving client services.

AgriDiversity Program
A five-year, up to $5 million initiative to help under-represented groups in Canadian agriculture, including youth, women, Indigenous Peoples, and persons with disabilities to fully participate in the sector. Open to not-for-profit organizations including associations in Canada, Indigenous organizations, and Official Language Minority Communities, and youth. It will strengthen the sector and build its capacity by:

• helping diverse groups to develop their skills to take a greater leadership role
• building the entrepreneurial capacity and business skills of under-represented groups (such as Indigenous communities, youth, women and persons with disabilities)
• facilitating the sharing of industry experience, best practices and knowledge, help under-represented groups to manage transformation
• strengthen the sector by incorporating the views of a more diverse set of industry players

AgriAssurance Program
A five-year, up to $74 million federal initiative to foster public trust by helping industry develop and adopt systems, standards and tools that enable them to make credible, meaningful and verifiable claims about the health and safety of Canadian agricultural and agri-food products, and the manner in which they are produced.

The AgriAssurance program offers funding through two components: 

National Industry Association Funding provided will assist industry associations develop assurance systems, standards or tools, such as: food safety, animal and plant health surveillance, animal welfare, environmental sustainability, traceability, quality standards, market attributes, food defense, and system integration. Not-for-profit organizations in the agriculture, agri-food, agri-based products sector, including fish and seafood, can apply under this component.

Small and medium-sized enterprises Funding provided will assist for-profit organizations obtain third-party certification when it is required to meet an export opportunity. Open to for-profit organizations operating in the agriculture, agri-food, agri-based products sector, including fish and seafood, such as businesses and corporations, co-operatives, and Indigenous organizations.

Federally-Funded Activities

These three key areas include $686.5 million over five years in federal programs and $467 million of federally-funded activities that directly benefit producers and processors and address priorities identified by the agricultural sector during consultations in the development of the framework. These investments will support trade policy and market access, trade commissioners, market development, market information, value chain roundtables, foundational science led by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and support for regulatory systems and regional collaboration.

Learn more about the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Halifax