Truro – Kody Blois, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and Member of Parliament for Kings–Hants, on behalf of Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, visited the Town of Truro and announced up to $5.6 million to support 87 new projects across Canada under the Small Scale Projects component of the Local Food Infrastructure Fund (LFIF).
As part of the $62.9-million announcement in Budget 2024, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is delivering the renewed LFIF, which mobilizes $42.7 million to support production-focused projects. The program aims to improve community food security and resilience through the purchase and installation of infrastructure. This support will help increase access and availability of local, nutritious and culturally-appropriate food, with a priority focus on equity-deserving groups within communities.
The Small Scale Projects component provides grant funding between $25,000 and $100,000 to support infrastructure projects, such as a community garden with an irrigation system, a greenhouse with solar panels, or a food forest. A second Small Scale Projects intake is expected to take place in Fall 2025.
Across Nova Scotia, the following 5 organizations have approved projects under the Small Scale Projects component: CoastArts Association in Canning (up to $90,896); Glace Bay Food Bank Society in Glace Bay (up to $37,082); Town of Truro in Truro (up to $33,057); Bluenose Coastal Action Foundation in Mahone Bay ($36,130); and The Take Action Society in Dartmouth (up to $44,700).
These are 5 of 38 LFIF projects supported to date across Nova Scotia, representing a total of more than $1.2 million.
“Since we first launched the Local Food Infrastructure Fund back in 2019, we’ve supported nearly 1,200 projects right across the country, from community kitchens to greenhouses in Northern communities. Today, we’re announcing 87 new projects that will help get more nutritious, locally grown food to folks who need it.”- Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food