News Associations Business/Policy Canada
AAFC invests more than $700,000 to boost equity-seeking groups in agri-food

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) will invest up to $734,806 to help five organizations increase the participation of under-represented groups in the Canadian agriculture and agri-food industry through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriDiversity programs.

Recipients include:

• Fédération des Agricultrices du Québec (up to $315,301);
• The Native Women’s Association of Canada (up to $136,954);
• Indigenous Works (up to $123,406);
• Canadian Federation of Agriculture (up to $82,389); and
• Do More Agriculture Foundation (up to $76,756)

The organizations will work to identify opportunities for Canadians of diverse backgrounds and create new opportunities within the industry, and help raise awareness in the sector of the barriers to starting and growing an agriculture or agri-food business. The work includes a national project to address systemic barriers facing women trying to succeed in agriculture, local initiatives to empower Indigenous peoples to create business opportunities through traditional food and medicine, and national research to address gaps in mental health support for under-represented groups working in agriculture.

“Companies and organizations are most successful when they bring together skilled and talented people from different genders, generations, and cultures,” said Marie-Claude Bibeau, minister of agriculture and agri-food, in a statement. “The agriculture sector has everything to gain from growing its diversity at a time when career and business opportunities are multiplying, from the farm to the laboratory, and through new technologies.”