Growing Forward 2 Programming Kicks Off in Ontario

 July 3rd,

Growing Forward 2 , a joint provincial, federal, and territorial government policy framework will provide three billion in funding across the country for agricultural programs and services over the next five years. The program focus is on innovation, competitiveness and market development to ensure Canadian producers and processors have the tools and resources they need to continue to innovate and capitalize on emerging market opportunities. For Ontario, this means $417 million invested in strategic initiatives aimed at improving business and leadership skills, adapting to climate change, developing markets and investing in research and innovation.

While the program was officially launched on April 1st,  the first round of applications for funding in Ontario were just made available last week on June 26th. Interested producers, processors, organizations and collaborations can now apply for funding to support activities that will help them prepare their Growing Forward 2 project applications. Project implementation funding is also now currently available to organizations and collaborations , but will not  be accessible to producers and processors until the fall.

 As Ontario’s agri-food industry contributes more than $34 billion to the province’s Gross Domestic Product and provides more than 710,000 jobs, it is a priority for the government to support the continued growth of this sector. Premier and Minister of Agriculture and Food, Kathleen Wynn, says that “The new Growing Forward 2 programs will help Ontario’s agri-food industry continue to grow and innovate. By working together, we can make this strong industry even stronger

For more information on Growing Forward 2 or to apply , click here  or call 1-877-246-4682.