Through the AgriScience Program – Clusters Component, a program under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, Canadian officials recently announced a USD9.8m partnership with the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC). This partnership will support Canada’s horticulture industry by enhancing research that safeguards the environment, fosters greater resilience, and helps ensure that Canadians have access to high-quality products.

This new investment is intended to advance Canada’s horticulture sector and improve environmental sustainability. Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay made this announcement while visiting local food producers and meeting with the BC Federation of Agriculture in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

“Agriculture creates jobs and a sense of pride in communities right across Canada. The Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada have demonstrated continued leadership over the past 100 years, and we will continue to support Canada’s fruit and vegetable growers while building a sustainable sector for the future,” MacAulay declared.

With an emphasis on potatoes among other products, the investment will support research that builds on previous cluster investments made under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. This research will support the development of new varieties, disease management, labor cost savings, climate resilience, and greener pesticides and energy. Reducing the need for artificial fertilizers and pesticides, developing new disease control technologies, and advancing inventive technologies are the objectives of this research.

“We are incredibly excited to renew our collaboration with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the approval of the Canadian AgriScience Cluster for Horticulture 4. This significant investment of USD17.5m, including AAFC’s substantial USD9.8m contribution, will be a catalyst for research spanning five commodity groups. This program will bolster our efforts in areas such as climate change mitigation, economic development, and sector resilience. Cluster 4 is not merely funding; it’s a commitment to equipping Canadian farmers with the innovative tools they need to produce world-class fruits and vegetables and ensure our sector’s sustainability,” Marcus Janzen, Vice President, of Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada, added.

The Cluster consists of research activities that focus on the AgriScience Program priority areas: Climate change and environment, economic growth and development, and sector resilience and societal changes.

By investing in research and sustainability, the Government of Canada is helping organizations meet the increasing demand for our world-class, grown-in-Canada products.

In 2021, the horticulture sector generated farm-gate revenues of an estimated USD6.7bn.

The AgriScience Program, under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, aims to accelerate innovation by providing funding and support for pre-commercial science activities and research that benefits the agriculture and agri-food sector, and Canadians.

The Clusters Component, under the AgriScience Program, supports projects intended to mobilize industry, government, and academia through partnerships, and address priority national themes and horizontal issues. The application intake period is closed.

Projects and final funding are subject to negotiation of a contribution agreement, and a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement.

The FVGC represents growers across the country involved in the production of over 120 different types of crops on over 14,000 farms, with farm cash receipts of USD5.7bn in 2020. They are a not-for-profit, national association, and, since 1922, have advocated on important issues that impact Canada’s fresh produce sector, promoting healthy, safe, and sustainable food, ensuring the continued success and growth of their industry.