Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lawrence MacAulay, recently announced the priorities of the $1 billion federal investment under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, which is set to launch on April 1, 2018.

According to the announcement, the government is focused on growing trade and expanding markets, innovative and sustainable growth, and supporting a diverse, dynamic, and evolving sector. Six federal programs will support these priorities and the long-term prosperity of the sector.

  • AgriMarketing
  • AgriCompetitiveness
  • AgriScience
  • AgriInnovate
  • AgriDiversity
  • AgriAssurance

CHC strategy for AgriScience

Since 2016, the Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC) has been working with apple, berry, potato, greenhouse, and vegetable grower groups, in addition to researchers and industry stakeholders, on a series of strategy documents covering several priority areas, including pest management, variety evaluation, energy, and labour efficiency.

In 2017, CHC put out a call for expressions of interest and proposals, and has been working on collecting peer reviews and confirming financial support.

We are currently in the final stages of developing applications and intend to submit applications for all commodity groups by the February 1, 2018 deadline.

Announced in July 2017, the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, is a five-year, $3 billion federal-provincial-territorial investment in Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector.