Helping Nova Scotia Farmers Manage Risk and Grow their Businesses

TRURO, NS, Dec. 1, 2017 /CNW/ - Canada's hardworking farmers and food processors are the backbone of Canada's economy, particularly in rural communities, and ensure families across Canada, and around the world, have safe, high-quality food on their tables.

Today, speaking at the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture (NSFA) Annual General Meeting in Truro, Member of Parliament for Cumberland-Colchester Bill Casey, on behalf of Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay, announced an investment of $1 million for the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture (NSFA).

With this investment, NSFA will pilot the development of a dynamic risk assessment tool for the province's agricultural sector starting with grape growers, and the wine sector. This tool will also be important to other sectors that become vulnerable to severe weather change and aging infrastructure, such as degrading dikes. The tool will evaluate the impact of different risks and test various mitigation strategies.

MP Casey also highlighted Minister MacAulay's recent announcement of initiatives and priorities for the $1 billion federal investment under the Canadian Agriculture Partnership. As one of its key priorities, the Partnership will ensure the resilience of farmers by enabling the creation of effective risk management tools. Furthermore, the Partnership will help the continued success of Nova Scotia farmers through targeted investments that ensure they are well-positioned to meet growing demand for their high-quality product.

Quotes

"Our government is proud to partner with the NSFA on new tools that will help Nova Scotia farmers and others, like municipal governments, take action to reduce the impact of climate change and other risks on agricultural production. The goal is to ensure a more stable and profitable agriculture and food industry in Nova Scotia, and across the country, creating well-paying jobs and strengthening the middle class."
-     Bill Casey, Member of Parliament for Cumberland-Colchester

"The changing climate is one of the numerous unstable factors that farmers face. With the variability and unpredictability of extreme weather events, farmers in vulnerable regions protected by dikes need to know the likelihood of overtopping or breach. Farmers also need to understand how climate change may impact their yields and in turn influence the value chain in which they operate. NSFA is pleased to be able to play a substantial role in a project significant to the industry."
-     Chris van den Heuvel, President, Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture

Quick Facts

• The Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture represents the interests of Nova Scotia's agricultural community, representing over 2,400 individual farm businesses.
• The Nova Scotia agriculture and food industry is a major contributor to the provincial economy with over $2 billion in exports and over half a billion dollars in farmgate receipts.
• This $1 million investment is made through AgriRisk which is a $60 million program under Growing Forward 2 – Business Risk Management that provides financial assistance to support the development of new risk management tools and services.
• The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a five-year, $3 billion investment by federal-provincial and territorial governments, which will strengthen the agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector, ensuring continued innovation, growth and prosperity.
• Under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, changes to the Business Risk Management programs agreed to in July 2017, will come into effect for the 2018 program year.
• This agreement will help the sector reach the Government's ambitious goal to grow Canada's agriculture and food exports to $75 billion by 2025. Federal program details and application forms will be available in early 2018.

Associated Links

• News Release: Canadian Agricultural Partnership: Setting the foundation for our farmers and food processors - November 24, 2017 (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
• Canadian Agricultural Partnership
• AgriRisk (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
• Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture

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SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Halifax