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Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership

Funding for Alberta under the new federal, provincial, territorial agreement

Mar 28, 2023 | 1:57 PM

Alberta will receive $508 million over five years through the new Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP).

The grants will support programs in Alberta’s agriculture and agri-food sector.

Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation Minister Nate Horner said the province’s programs will create new jobs and spur growth in the sector by supporting value-added processing, attracting new investment, and expanding irrigation capacity.

“The new Sustainable CAP provides flexibility to deliver programs that will help producers grow their business and improve productivity while addressing the unique challenges of farming in Alberta,” Horner said in a news release. “Alberta’s producers are among the best in the world when it comes to sustainable practices, and we will continue to support their efforts to feed the world while protecting the environment for generations to come.”

Horner said the programs will also continue to protect plant and animal health and animal welfare, manage risks to Alberta’s natural resources, and invest in producer-led agriculture research.

Producers also have access to an enhanced suite of business risk management programs to help them manage risks that threaten the viability of their farms and are beyond their capacity to manage.

Sustainable CAP is a five-year, $3.5-billion investment by Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial governments.

This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5 billion commitment that is cost-shared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially/territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories.

This is a $500 million increase in cost-shared funding with half of the additional funding going to the development and implementation of the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program that supports carbon sequestration, and protect grasslands and wetlands on agricultural lands.

Sustainable CAP comes into effect April 1 and replaces the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

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