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Manitoba receives $221M for agriculture initiatives

Federal Agriculture and Agri-Food minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Manitoba Agriculture minister Derek Johnson have announced $221 million in funding for strategic agricultural initiatives in Manitoba under the new the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP).

The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a five-year, $3.5-billion investment by Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments that supports Canada’s agri-food and agri-products sectors. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5 billion commitment that is cost-shared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially/territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories.

“Manitoba producers and agri-processors are key contributors not only to Manitoba’s economy, but to the entire international agri-food value chain,” says Johnson. “Our government is committed to supporting this industry through targeted programming while they work to sustainably feed the world, right here at home.”

Manitoba has launched a suite of programs under the Sustainable CAP framework that will help the sector reach its full potential by expanding business opportunities, investing in sustainable practices throughout the sector and strengthening resiliency of the entire food chain. Manitoba’s programs were developed through significant consultation with industry partners, who highlighted a number of priority areas, including research, innovation and market development, emergency preparedness and technology advancement.

For example, the new Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program has been developed based on feedback from the industry and supports ecological goods and services by funding on-farm projects that remove carbon (or carbon dioxide) from the atmosphere to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Eligible applicants include community pastures, agricultural crown land forage lease-holders, First Nations and Metis communities and farmers outside of watershed district boundaries.

Canadian producers also have access to an enhanced suite of business risk management (BRM) programs to help them manage significant risks that threaten the viability of their farms and are beyond their capacity to manage. The Sustainable CAP came into effect April 1 and replaces the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP).