The Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council (MRAC) will continue to support ag innovation by delivering Manitoba’s portion ($9.5 million) of the five-year $163 million Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP). The Government of Canada announced the new program on June 11, 2009. CAAP will help farm families respond and adapt to challenges in their operations and will build on the successes of the previous program, Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF).
“Through the new Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program the federal government is showing that it values our direct link to the agriculture industry. The focus of the program is industry led, ‘farmers first,’ which supports the innovators in our industry that don’t just react to change but anticipate change and its future outcomes,” said Barry Routledge, chair of the MRAC board of directors. “In a world focused on trying to preserve the past, we in agriculture with direct federal partnership are facing the realities of tomorrow by pathfinding, addressing emerging issues and laying the groundwork to seize new opportunities. The agricultural industry has many potential solutions for society’s needs and with funding from Ottawa we will see projects that focus on creating a positive community.”
MRAC will manage an annual budget of approximately $1.9 million in the first year and approximately $1.5 million in subsequent years. The council will also be able to access additional funding by undertaking collective outcome projects in collaboration with other councils and national organizations.
Projects funded under CAAP will be proposal-based and originate from industry. The program encourages the agricultural industry to work in partnerships across the value chain – farmers, processors, distributors and retailers – to develop and use innovative solutions and to explore new market opportunities. Projects will address a range of challenges and opportunities such as traceability, environment, pests and diseases.
There are national, regional, multi-regional components of the program. Eligible recipients for any of the three components of CAAP must be legal Canadian entities capable of entering into a contract. This includes, but is not limited to, individuals, organizations, associations, cooperatives, marketing boards, corporations, aboriginal groups, non-profit organizations, and for-profit companies. Federal, provincial and territorial government departments or agencies, universities, and colleges are not eligible to apply as project leaders.
The regional aspect of CAAP will be delivered by industry councils, such as MRAC, across the country. The national aspect, delivered by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, will fund eligible projects that are national in scope.
Applicants interested in accessing regional or multi-regional funding can contact the Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council at 1.204.982.4790 or mracinfo@mrac.ca.
For more information on the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program visit www.agr.gc.ca/caap.
