The Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance has received approval under Growing Forward 2 funding for our project Data Collection and Analysis of Food and Farming Assets in the Golden Horseshoe. The project, a collaboration between the 7 cities and regions of the Alliance, will map the location of farms, food businesses and supporting businesses to the agri-food value chain.
This information will be used by the partners to assess the economic impact of food and farming on the regional economy. Matching dollars for the project have been provided by the participating municipalities.
Growing Forward 2 (GF2) is a federal-provincial-territorial initiative intended to encourage innovation, competitiveness and market development in Canada’s agri-food and agri-products sector.
The summer application period for Growing Forward 2 –- year 2 of 5 – opened on August 4th with a deadline of August 28th. GF2 is a five-year (2013-2018) policy framework for Canada’s agricultural and agri-food sector
Ontario farm, food and agri-product businesses, organizations and collaborations can build their own plan and select opportunities to help grow their profits, expand their markets and manage risks.
The program offers practical and flexible options for groups that are just starting out or have been in business for a long period of time.
At the end of July, the Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC) Board of Directors approved 52 projects totaling over $5 million under Growing Forward 2!
In this news release, AAC Chair Kristin Ego MacPhail stated: “The sectors interest in, and uptake of, the GF2 program is unprecedented. The enormous response by the industry to GF2 for the organizations and collaborations program truly reflects the appropriateness and need for this program.”
Visit the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs website for more information on how to apply for the GF2 Program.
Visit the AAC news release for more information and for some examples of funding approved under the past two rounds of applications.