Growing Forward from the APF
Working directly with producers and processors, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands supported innovative and long-lasting projects in five separate areas of the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF): Business Risk Management, Environment, Food Safety and Food Quality, Renewal and Science & Innovation.
“Industry organizations, producers and processors have been involved in delivering APF programs from the beginning,” said Harvey Sasaki, Assistant Deputy Minister with the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands. “Having a comprehensive and long-term framework gave our partners the chance to plan, develop, promote and deliver complex programs. As a result, many organizations were able to grow and improve their ability to provide services to their members and the agriculture industry. This is one of the legacies of the APF.”
Over its five year term, the joint federal provincial APF programs:
- supported environmental farm planning, helping producers identify and address potential environmental risks;
- enhanced food safety and quality systems;
- supported producers in areas such as business management and helped new farmers enter the field; and
- supported science and innovation programs aimed at increasing investment and returns in the entire bio-based economy.
Business risk management programming was funded by demand, and included a new stabilization/disaster program and coverage under crop insurance. The APF was introduced in 2003. Federal, provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture have been working to put in place a new policy framework, Growing Forward. A new suite of Business Risk Management programs (see BRM programs) are rolling out now and comprise the first programs of the Growing Forward Framework.
“Growing Forward is a collaborative, forward-focused vision for a profitable and competitive agriculture sector in British Columbia, and builds on the best of the APF,” said John Berry, Director, Pacific Region, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada. “We are now in the process of developing new programs to support farmers and food processors, and are committed to continue to involve them in every step of the way.”
The Government of Canada and provincial and territorial governments are working together with the agricultural community to develop Growing Forward, the next gen-eration of agriculture policy. To facilitate a smooth transition to Growing Forward, programs currently in place under the Agricultural Policy Framework will continue for up to one year.
More information about Growing Forward is available on the Government of Canada website.
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