Winnipeg – Funding is now available for initiatives that will support Indigenous participation, address barriers, and build on opportunities in the agriculture and agri-food economy under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson announced today.
As a result of engagements, two streams of funding have been developed to support equitable access to funding and strengthen relationships with Indigenous Peoples:
- Indigenous Agriculture and Food Systems: supports actions and activities that increase food security and sovereignty in communities, including supporting and enhancing the revitalization of traditional food systems and increased participation in the agriculture and agri-food sector;
- Relationship Development and Engagement: supports actions and activities that engage and enhance relationships between Indigenous People, industry and academia with an aim to encourage collaboration and advance opportunities in agriculture.
Programming has been developed to increase Indigenous sector participation, establishing and growing food systems, and supporting partnerships and collaboration. The Indigenous Agriculture and Food Systems program will provide funding across four funding streams:
- Planning and consulting activities, which support access to community driven culturally relevant services and the development of resource materials, up to a maximum of $80,000.
- Training activities, which support sharing skills, group learning and knowledge transfer events, up to a maximum of $10,000.
- Enhancing Indigenous food systems activities, which support the design and development of community based food systems from planning and training, through to implementation, up to a maximum of $200,000.
- Capital equipment and software activities, which support access to capital items required in implementing and/or scaling up food system/agriculture projects from production and processing to preservation, with a 50% government and 50% applicant cost shared up to a maximum of $50,000 in funding.
The Relationship Development and Engagement program will provide small funding grants of up to $5,000 per application to support meaningful engagement activities prior to exploring ideas and initiating projects.
Funding is available for food system work guided by traditional knowledge systems, including activities that have not been funded under previous frameworks, such as traditional gathering and processing practices. Projects are anticipated to vary greatly and be specific to communities’ needs. They could range from building a community garden to completing agricultural feasibility studies, Minister Johnson noted.
“Ensuring Indigenous communities and organizations are equipped with the agricultural knowledge, skills, and technology to increase their participation in the agricultural economy is critical. We recognize that Indigenous communities have diverse and unique realities and the flexibility of the programs announced today reflect that diversity. Fostering relationships and working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples will support inclusive growth of the agri-food sector and contribute to economic reconciliation.” – Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food