Funds from the sequel to the Growing Forward ag policy framework are expected to focus on “infrastructure development” in the Yukon, aimed at expanding the range of farm production in the territory.
Yukon’s Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Brad Cathers on Wednesday announced the territory has signed its “GF2” agreement with the federal government, committing the two levels of government to cost-share $1.48 million per year for ag programs outside the business risk management (BRM) suite between now and the end of March 2018.
The previous Growing Forward framework, which expired this spring, “helped develop Yukon’s agriculture sector by providing funding for modernized equipment, increasing knowledge of safe practices for handling and processing foods, increasing awareness of agri-environmental impacts and implementing best management practices on Yukon farms,” Cathers said in a release.
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“Growing Forward 2 will build on these successes and continue to strengthen and improve the growing agriculture community and industry in Yukon.”
The two governments under GF2 “will offer programming to support key infrastructure development to support the continued diversification of farm products destined for farmers’ markets, restaurants and store shelves.”
Project applications for Yukon’s non-BRM suites of programs can be submitted to the territory’s Agriculture Branch “at any time” and are to be reviewed monthly either by a program manager and field inspector, or by a project evaluation committee, depending on the program area, the governments said.
Non-BRM program areas in Yukon’s GF2 are to include:
- food safety programs (biosecurity risk prevention and mitigation, Yukon livestock health, food safety beneficial management practices (BMPs));
- environmental programs (agri-environmental baseline indicators, reclamation of Yukon land, underutilized land, wildlife damage prevention and compensation, environmental farm plans (EFPs));
- training (agriculture training, agriculture internship, farm mentorship, agriculture education);
- market development (agriculture development, planning and advising agri-businesses); and
- innovation (innovation exchange, Yukon research and demonstration).
Yukon’s $7.4 million comes from a combined federal/provincial/territorial pool of $2 billion for non-BRM programs in GF2, up 50 per cent from the previous framework, separate from support for BRM programs such as AgriStability and AgriInvest.
GF2 also commits the federal government to $1 billion for “federal-only” initiatives across the country, including the AgriInnovation, AgriMarketing and AgriCompetitiveness programs.
Among the other provinces and territories, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Prince Edward Island have also already signed their GF2 framework funding agreements.
