Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has launched a renewed five-year Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP) to help the sector continue to adapt and remain competitive, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced today.

Under CAAP (2014 – 2019), over $50 million will be available for investments in industry-led projects that will help the sector seize opportunities, respond to emerging issues, and investigate and pilot approaches to deal with new and ongoing challenges.

The renewed program will enable the agricultural industry to proactively tap into opportunities and tackle unforeseen challenges, similar to the projects pursued by Pulse Canada and the Flax Council of Canada that received investments under the previous CAAP program (2009 – 2014).

Quick Facts

• The program is open and applications will be accepted on a continuous basis until funds are fully utilized: over $50 million over the duration of the five-year program (2014 – 2019).
• All projects must be either national or sector-wide in scope.
• CAAP (2014-2019) complements existing investments currently being provided under Growing Forward 2, the five-year federal-provincial- territorial framework that includes a $3 billion investment in strategic initiatives that foster innovation, promote market development and competitiveness.

Quotes

“Our Government remains committed to helping Canadian producers adapt to emerging challenges and market realities. The renewed CAAP program will allow our agriculture sector to proactively manage issues, seize new opportunities and grow the Canadian economy.”
– Minister Ritz

“Funding from the CAAP program for the Pulse Flour Milling Project enabled the industry to investigate and develop optimal processing techniques to produce pulse flours for a variety of food product applications. This work is paving the way for greater value-added processing of pulses in Canada and is creating new opportunities for pulses in a wide range of processed foods.”
– Gordon Bacon, CEO of Pulse Canada

“The financial contribution from AAFC, through the CAAP program, allowed the Canadian flax industry to develop and implement a comprehensive farm stewardship, export testing and market awareness program that was instrumental in reopening the export market in the EU, Japan and Brazil.  The financial support from CAAP made this industry-led initiative possible and has allowed flax growers in Canada continued access to these export markets.”
– William Hill, President, Flax Council of Canada

Additional Links

• Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (2014-2019)
• Growing Forward 2