2021–2022 Departmental Results Report – Details on Transfer Payment Programs

In 2021–22 the Agricultural Clean Technology Program approved 79 projects for the Adoption stream and 4 projects for the Reseach and Innovation stream.

Under the Agricultural Clean Technology Program, a cumulative total of 39 clean technologies have been adopted.

Ten AgriRecovery initiatives were completed in 2021–22:

1. the 2019 Canada-British Columbia Forage Freight Assistance Initiative;
2. the 2020 Canada-Alberta Fed Cattle Feed Cost Offset Initiative;
3. the 2020 Canada-Saskatchewan Livestock Set Aside Program;
4. the 2020 Canada-Ontario COVID-19 Beef Emergency Feed Maintenance Initiative;
5. the 2020 Canada-Ontario COVID-19 Hog Maintenance Initiative;
6. L'Initiative Canada-Québec d'aide aux éleveurs pour atténuer l'impact de la COVID-19 en 2020–2021;
7. the 2020 Canada-PEI Hog Recovery Initiative (COVID-19);
8. the 2021 Canada-Alberta Hog Recovery Initiative (COVID-19);
9. the 2020 Canada-New Brunswick Hog Recovery Initiative (COVID-19); and
10. the 2021 Canada-Saskatchewan Drought Response Initiative (DRI).

The AgriRecovery payments for these initiatives were found to have played an important role in the recovery of the affected producers. The data for this indicator was reported by the provincial administrator at the the conclustion of each initiative. During the delivery of the intiatives, administrators were in frequent contact with commodity organizations as well as individual producers and received ongoing feedback on the effectiveness of the support producers received. Rather than add to the administrative burden by performing a survey at the conclusion of an initiative, most provincial administrators opted to evaluate the feedback they had already received and use that to report on this performance indicator.

In 2021–22, governments continued the delivery of the 2020 Canada-Manitoba Finished Cattle Feed Assistance Program (COVID-19). Performance data is not yet available for this initiative, which provided assistance to livestock producers in Manitoba impacted by the temporary closure of food processing facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also in 2021–22, governments implemented five initiatives to provide assistance to producers impacted by the severe drought during the summer of 2021, and the flood in British Columbia in the fall of 2021:

1. the 2021 Canada-Alberta Livestock Feed Assistance Initiative;
2. the Canada-Manitoba 2021 AgriRecovery Drought Assistance Initiative;
3. the Canada-Ontario 2021 Dry Weather AgriRecovery Initiative;
4. the 2021 Canada-British Columbia Wildfire and Drought Recovery Initiative; and
5. the 2021 Canada-British Columbia Flood Recovery Program for Food Security.

The process for AgriRecovery begins when one or more provincial/territorial government(s) requests an assessment of a disaster event in writing. Once the request has been made, a joint federal and provincial/territorial task team conducts an AgriRecovery assessment. As needed, the task team consults with affected producers, industry representatives and other department/agency representatives (for example, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Public Safety Canada). The assessment looks at the impacts of the event on producers, the ability for them to recover quickly and the costs associated with those recovery activities as well as how existing programs will respond.

Generic information on the AgriRecovery Framework is available on Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s website while the specifics on the initiatives are usually available on provincial/territorial governments’ websites.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada communication efforts included emails and news releases.

Program clients were also engaged through web presence, videoconferences, teleconferences and other outreach, and project assessment and monitoring.

Additional efforts included broader industry engagement, including outreach to the series of Sector Engagement Tables, the Innovation and CleanTech Hub and other related industry associations.

There is a two year lag in reporting for the AgriInsurance Program due to the time required to compile the information.

• The 2019–20 Performance Indicators have not yet received final validation from the provinces and as a result are subject to minor adjustments.
• The value of agricultural products eligible for insurance, as a percentage of the value of all agricultural products produced (except livestock), was 88% in 2019–20. The target of 85% for this indicator was met.
• The value of insured crop production, as a percentage of the total value of all agricultural products eligible for insurance (excluding forage, pasture and livestock production), was 73.92% in 2019–20 The target of 75% was not met for the 2019–20 crop year, however it was close to being met. The indicator excludes forage and pasture production that was overachieved at 27.23% (and the target for this specific group of commodity is 20%). The factors used to measure the results are volatile however, they remain close to the target. It should also be noted that the results reporting of the final indicators will be two years after the Canadian Agricultural Partnership framework end date of March 2023 (due to the lag in the information).

In order to address industry feedback and increase program participation, governments are responding to meet specific industry needs by working towards putting forward program changes.

Business Risk Management programs are generally marketed to producers as a package. In advance of key program deadlines, direct mail and advertising are used by administrators to raise program awareness, encourage enrolment and compliance with participation requirements (for example, meeting key deadlines). The program website, toll-free number, and media relations supports the promotional campaigns. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada works with provinces and with third party delivery agencies to ensure a coordinated communications approach and to ensure federal identity on cost-shared programs.

The Department continues to build on the program websites as a key source of program information and on options for communicating information to program clients in order to support the Department’s mandate to strengthen program service and delivery.

Communication activities comply with the Official Languages Act requirements. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada also works with the National Program Advisory Committee to engage its producers.

Based on preliminary numbers for the 2020 program year, the value of government contributions as percent of maximum allowable contributions was 90.3%, surpassing the target of 85%. There is a lag in reporting due to the time needed to complete the processing of all of the producer applications for a given year and to compile the data.

According to the 2019 Farm Financial Survey, among participants that made a withdrawal from their AgriInvest account, 93% used the withdrawal to address income declines, make on-farm investments, or pay for input expenses.

Business Risk Management programs are generally marketed to producers as a package. In advance of key program deadlines, direct mail and advertising are used by administrators to raise program awareness, encourage enrolment and compliance with participation requirements (for example, meeting key deadlines). The program website, My Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Account, toll-free number, and media relations will support the promotional campaigns. The My Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Account allows producers to get up to date information on-line for their AgriInvest Account.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada works with provinces and with third party delivery agencies to ensure a coordinated communications approach and to ensure federal identity on cost-shared programs. The Department continues to build on the program websites and My Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Account as key sources of program information and on options for communicating information to program clients in order to support the Department’s mandate to strengthen program service and delivery.

Communication activities comply with the Official Languages Act requirements. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada also works with the National Program Advisory Committee to engage with producers and engages in consultations with national industry associations and producer groups on program directions and major program changes.

Information on the AgriRisk Initiatives Program, as well as the eligibility criteria and application process, is available on Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's website. The program website, toll-free number, and media relations supports the promotional campaigns.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada worked with provinces and recipients to ensure a coordinated communications approach and to ensure federal identity on cost-shared programs, and appropriate acknowledgement on relevant project communications material.

The Department continues to build on the program websites as a key source of program information and on options for communicating information to program clients in order to support the Department’s mandate to strengthen program service and delivery. Communication activities complied with the Official Languages Act requirements. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada also worked with the National Program Advisory Committee to engage its producers.

The AgriScience program accelerates the pace of innovation in the sector by supporting industry-led research and development to increase market opportunities in the agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector.

The program is delivered through two types of initiatives: the AgriScience – Clusters Component (Clusters) and the AgriScience – Projects Component (Projects). Clusters are national in scope and bring together scientific expertise from industry, academia and government to collaborate to address multiple industry priorities of a specific commodity (such as wheat, beef, et cetera) or cross-cutting issues (for example, bioproducts, food processing).

Projects may be individually led research projects or a small group of projects that are national, regional or local in scope.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada communication efforts included mail outs, news conferences and news releases.

Program clients were engaged through email, web presence and other outreach, and through project assessment and monitoring.

Additional efforts included broader industry engagement, including outreach to the series of Sector Engagement Table, companies and industry associations, and an annual meeting with AgriScience Cluster recipients.

The following results are based on the preliminary numbers for the 2018 and 2019 program years. There is a two year lag in reporting due to the time needed to complete the processing of all of the producer applications for a given year and to compile the data.

• Overall, farm market revenues of program participants represented 57.5% and 55.0%, for 2018 and 2019 respectively, of all eligible farm market revenue, which is below the target of 65% and similar to the 2017 level of 57.4%.
• The percentage of producers whose income is greater than their allowable expenses in 2019 was 97%, above the 95% target.

Participation in AgriStability has remained low in both Growing Forward 2 and the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, due in part to program changes and favourable market conditions. In 2021, Ministers agreed to remove the Reference Margin Limit, retroactive to the 2020 program year. This change will make the program more equitable and easier to understand and may help to increase program participation.

Business Risk Management programs are generally marketed to producers as a package. In advance of key program deadlines, direct mail and advertising are used by administrators to raise program awareness, and encourage enrolment and compliance with participation requirements (for example, meeting key deadlines). The program website, My AAFC Account, toll-free number, and media relations will support the promotional campaigns. The My AAFC Account allows producers to get up-to-date information online for their AgriStability account.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada works with provinces and with third party delivery agencies to ensure a coordinated communications approach and to ensure federal identity on cost-shared programs. The Department continues to build on the program websites and My AAFC Account as a key source of program information and on options for communicating information to program clients in order to support the Department’s mandate to strengthen program service and delivery.

Communication activities comply with the Official Languages Act requirements. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada also works with the National Program Advisory Committee to engage with producers and engages in consultations with national industry associations and producer groups on program direction and major program changes.

The Dairy Programs consist of the Dairy Farm Investment Program (DFIP) and the Dairy Processing Investment Fund (DPIF), which are designed to encourage investment by dairy farmers and dairy processors to improve productivity and competitiveness in light of anticipated market changes resulting from the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement.

The DFIP (2017–18 to 2022–23) supports dairy farmers in modernizing their operations and improves their productivity through activities such as the adoption of robotic milkers, automated feeding systems, herd management tools, or other equipment upgrades.

The DPIF (2017–18 to 2021–22) supports dairy processors as they modernize their facilities and conduct near-market activities to introduce new and improved products that will compete with expected imports. The program supports access to technical expertise and the purchase of new equipment in order to expand processing capacity and diversify product lines to capture new market opportunities.

As of March 31, 2022, the Dairy Farm Investment Program has approved a cumulative total of 3,454 projects since its inception. Of these, 3,201 (cumulative total representing 2017–2018, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, and 2021–22) are now complete. A Program survey was conducted in May 2022 of 1,527 respondents that showed 83 percent experienced time savings and 76 percent noted production cost savings as a result of their investment.

Under the Dairy Processing Investment Fund, 2 facilities and not-for- profits applied for and received funding in 2021–22, bringing the program's cumulative total of funded facilities to 103. This exceeds the program's initial target of 51 as a result of projects being approved for smaller amounts of funding in the later years of the Program than planned at the outset. This was done to ensure a larger distribution of funds across processing firms.

As of 2021–22, participating dairy processors have experienced a 6% reduction in total cost per dairy product unit, and have increased the use of fluid or industrial milk and milk components by 75%.

Dairy Farm Investment Program

• National consultations were held with stakeholders in advance of the Government announcing the launch of the second round of the Program in January 2019.

Dairy Processing Investment Fund

• As all funds were committed, engagement with program recipients during the fiscal year 2021–22 focused on project monitoring and was done through emails and phone calls.

Program clients are also being engaged through email, site visits, web presence or other outreach and project assessment and monitoring.

The Dairy Direct Payment Program met its objectives:

• 96% of the farms eligible for compensation registered for the Program through the Canadian Dairy Commission.
• Of those, 100% of the farms identified by the Canadian Dairy Commission received direct payments.

The Local Food Infrastructure Fund strengthens food systems and facilitates access to safe and nutritious food for at-risk populations.

The fund supports community-based, not-for-profit organizations to improve their food systems through investments in infrastructure that are directly related to addressing food insecurities and increasing the accessibility of healthy, nutritious, and ideally, local foods within their community.

In 2021–22, 158 small-scale and 151 large-scale infrastructure investments were made to increase the availability of healthy and nutritious food.

Cumulative result: as of March 31, 2022, a total of 813 infrastructure investments have been made. Of these, 608 have been small-scale, and 205 have been large-scale.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada communication efforts included mail outs, news conferences and news releases which were translated into multiple Indigenous languages. Program clients may have been also  engaged through email, web presence, videoconferences, teleconferences, virtual information session and other outreach, and project assessment and monitoring.

Additional efforts included broader industry engagement and outreach to federal, provincial and territorial counterparts and various food-related associations across the country.

The Mandatory Isolation Support for Temporary Foreign Workers Program was extended from April 21, 2021 to August 31, 2021, due to Budget 2021’s additional funding of $57.6M.

In fiscal year 2021–22, a total of 3,303 projects were approved for up to $54.4 million.

There are two programs under the Agricultural Marketing Programs Act:

• The Advance Payments Program provides producers with access to credit through cash advances based on the value of their agricultural products. This enables producers to meet financial obligations and allows them to make the decision to sell agricultural products based on market conditions rather than the need for cash flow.
• The Price Pooling Program provides cooperative marketing agencies with a price guarantee on eligible products as a form of security against unanticipated declines in the market price for their products. This helps them to secure financing to issue initial payments to their producer members as they deliver product to the cooperative marketing pools.

Advance Payments Program

In 2020–21, the Department, through the Advance Payments Program and in partnership with 33 third–party administrators, continued to provide eligible agricultural producers with access to timely, low cost loans to help them with their cash-flow needs over their production periods and provide them with additional flexibility to find the best markets for their agricultural products.

The performance indicators and results:

• Number of producers receiving Advance Payments Program advances per production period: 17,458 (minimum target: 18,891);
• Dollar value of Advance Payments Program advances issued per production period: $2.39 billion (minimum target: $2.25 billion)

*Note: Producers have until the end of their Advance Payments Program Production Periods to fully repay their advances. Due to the length of these Production Periods, it is not yet possible to report on defaults for the 2021 Program Year. The default results reported above are for advances during the 2020–21 Program Year. AAFC will report on 2021–22 defaults in the it’s 2022–23 DRR.

Price Pooling Program

For 2021–22, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada entered into two Price Guarantee Agreements with marketing agencies for a total guarantee valued at $51.7 million. The participating marketing agency did not make any claims to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada against the price guarantee during the program year.

The performance indicator and results:

• Guarantee price provided through the Price Pooling Program as a percentage of average market price: 61.83% (target: less than or equal to 65%); and
• Number of days between delivery of product(s) to pool and producer receiving payment: 16 days (maximum target: 30 days)

The primary marketing channel for the Advance Payments Program is through the approximately 33 producer organizations who administrate the program. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada supported these efforts in a variety of ways to encourage program awareness and uptake. In 2021–22. AAFC undertook a joint marketing campaign with the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act Program and Farm Debt Mediation Service, which included digital direct mail-outs, organic social media posts, an Agri-Info Article, a physical mail-out and a Fifth Story article.

Each year, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada officials hold meetings with program administrators, and may also attend selected industry trade shows/ annual general meetings to gather feedback on program uptake and performance and to ensure producers continue to benefit from the program. AAFC did not attend any trade shows or annual general meetings in 2021–22 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada completed a review of Agricultural Marketing Program Act programs, which began in 2020–21 and finished in 2021–22, as required under the Act. This legislative review included consultations with stakeholders (administrators, lenders and producers) across the country to determine if the programs and program provisions were meeting the needs of all stakeholders.

Dairy Programs, which will change its name to Supply Management Initiatives in 2022–23, includes programs designed to ensure that those in Canada’s supply-managed sectors receive full and fair compensation for concessions made in recent trade agreements.

The Poultry and Egg On-Farm Investment Program supports on-farm investments in increasing efficiency or productivity, improving on-farm food safety and biosecurity, improving environmental sustainability, and responding to consumer preferences.

Stakeholders were engaged as part of the Government of Canada's national consultations for each of the different Supply Management Initiative Programs.

Recipients provided feedback which was used to improve the program, which was used to make program improvements. Given the compensatory nature of the program, the sectors’ input was used extensively to develop the programs’ parameters.

• The Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector contributes to growing the economy
• The Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector is effective in transforming ideas into new products, processes or practices
• The agricultural sector is financially resilient
• The agriculture and agri-food sector is equipped with assurance systems and supporting tools

Federal, Provincial and Territorial Cost-shared Markets and Trade

Federal, Provincial and Territorial Cost-shared Science, Research, Innovation and Environment

Federal, Provincial and Territorial Cost-Shared Assurance

Federal, Provincial and Territorial Cost-shared Markets and Trade:

• Transfer payments are provided to the provinces and territories for programming to assist the Canadian agricultural sector in creating market-based opportunities for individual farms and firms, and providing industry with the knowledge and tools to compete at home and abroad. Specific provincial and/or territorial programs support the sector in identifying new domestic and global opportunities that enhance competitiveness and prosperity.

Federal, Provincial and Territorial Cost-shared Science, Research, Innovation and Environment:

• Transfer payments are provided to the provinces and territories for programming to accelerate the pace of innovation in the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector. A key focus of such innovation is the research, development and commercialization of products, practices, processes and systems that enhance productivity, competitiveness, economic growth and adaptability to environment and climate change in the sector.

Federal, Provincial and Territorial Cost-Shared Assurance:

• Transfer payments are provided to the provinces and territories for agricultural assurance programming to develop tools and support proactive mitigation activities. Specific provincial or territorial programs support the sector in its endeavors to prevent and control risks to the animal and plant resource base, provide safe food, and meet new market demands for assurance.

In 2021–22, Federal, Provincial and Territorial Cost-Shared Programs achieved the following results:

Markets and Trade

• Number of clients reporting that market information and intelligence meets needs for awareness and knowledge of market opportunities: this new indicator will be measured through a Client Impact Survey currently in development with Statistics Canada. Results will be available at the end of the framework. The results of the survey will set the baseline for subsequent performance measures.

Science, Research, Innovation and Environment

• Number of new technologies (products, practices, processes and systems) that attain Intellectual Property protection: 199 (cumulative results), continuing to meet annual targets and has met framework expectations (2018–19, 2019–20, and 2020–21). Reporting is one year behind (e.g., results for 2019–20 will be reported in 2020–21) as provinces and territories are only required to report on their programs by August 31 of the following fiscal year as per the bilateral agreements.

Assurance

• Number of risk management/assurance projects completed on-farm: 4,077 (cumulative result), meeting annual target expectations through the first three years of the framework (2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21) and is on track to achieve framework targets. Reporting is one year behind (results for 2019–20 will be reported in 2020–21) as provinces and territories are only required to report on their programs by August 31 of the following fiscal year as per the bilateral agreements.
• Number of risk management/assurance projects completed at processing facilities: 723 (cumulative result), meeting annual expectations and is on track to achieve framework targets (2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21). Reporting is one year behind (e.g., results for 2019–20 will be reported in 2020–21) as provinces and territories are only required to report on their programs by August 31 of the following fiscal year as per the bilateral agreements.

The Youth Employment and Skills Program is delivered by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, as part of Employment and Social Development Canada’s broader Youth Employment and Skills Strategy. Twelve federal departments participate in the Strategy.

The Youth Employment and Skills Program provides funding to employers and organizations for the creation of agricultural jobs for youth in Canada facing barriers, to provide career-related work experiences.

The Youth Employment and Skills Program received $21.4 million in funding for fiscal year 2021–22 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a top-up to existing funding. The program helped fund 2,157 new positions for youth in the agriculture industry and assisted with labour shortages brought on by the pandemic. Of these 2,157 youth, 46.43% were women, 7.72% Indigenous, 9.79% visible minorities; 2.68% persons with disabilities, 2.07% lived in an official language minority community; and 61.98% lived in a rural/remote community.

*Note: Claims are still being processed for the 2021–22 year and the performance results above may change once all reports are received.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is one of 12 partnering departments under the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, led by Employment and Social Development Canada. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada worked closely with all departments on the renewal of the Strategy, including through consultations with stakeholders and participants.

Stakeholders and recipients were engaged through emails, videoconferences, teleconferences and other outreach by the Department.

The AgriCompetitiveness Program provides non-repayable funding to help the sector build on existing capacity, enhance safety, adapt to changing commercial and regulatory environments, seize new opportunities, share best practices, and provide mentorship opportunities.

The AgriCommunication Program approves projects that focus on increasing consumer awareness, appreciation and pride in the contributions of farmers and the food industry as well as sector awareness of consumer preferences. The activities help strengthen public trust about the origin of the food Canadians eat and how it is produced.

AgriCompetitveness Program:

The AgriCompetitiveness Program approved 12 projects in 2021–22. Final calculations for the number of participants at events where agricultural awareness, knowledge, skills and best practices are shared will be available by the end of 2022 once project performance data is collected. The cumulative total of approved projects since the program’s inception in 2018 is 22.

AgriCommunication Program:

As of March 31, 2022, the program had approved one project

The Agricultural Climate Solutions (ACS) Living Labs aims to incentivize and accelerate on-farm co-development, testing, monitoring, dissemination and adoption of Beneficial Management Practices (BMP) that sequester carbon, mitigate climate change and provide environmental co-benefits and social benefits. ACS Living Labs is a program under the Natural Climate Solutions Fund (NCSF), a horizontal initiative led by Natural Resources Canada with support from Environment and Climate Change Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, which aims to develop projects that invest in natural climate solutions.

The ACS On-Farm Climate Action Fund aims to accelerate the adoption of farm practices that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sequester carbon and achieve other environmental co-benefits. The program, also under the NCFS, focuses on supporting BMP adoption in three areas: improving nitrogen management; increasing adoption of cover cropping; and, normalizing rotational grazing.

In 2021–22, the AgriDiversity Program approved six projects. Four out of six projects supported Indigenous Peoples and youth. Recipients included the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq to provide beekeeping training to Indigenous communities that incorporates Indigenous culture and practices; Agriculture in the Classroom Canada to expand on and develop new “thinkAG” initiatives designed to increase awareness and interest for Canadian students regarding agriculture and agri-food related careers and learning opportunities; Conseil des Atikamek de Wemotaci to promote learning through family and community farming practices via education programs at various levels; and the Canadian Western Agribition Association to hold a two-day event that will help to develop networks that seek to conceptualize, build, and implement solutions that will increase participation of Indigenous communities, youth and women within the sector.

Two projects supported women and youth; la Fédération des agricultrices du Québec to build entrepreneurial capacity and business skills of women farmers across the country; and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture to develop a national framework and toolkit to address the under-representation of women in the sector.

Under the Food Waste Reduction Challenge, one challenge was issued with 4 streams: Business Model Streams (streams A and B) were targeted towards business solutions that prevented or diverted food waste; and Novel Technology Streams (streams C and D) were focused on novel technologies that extend the life of food or transform food waste into value-added products.

In 2021–22, 24 semi-finalists were selected and each awarded $100,000 from among the 343 applications received under the Business Models Streams. In addition, 238 applications were received under the Novel Technologies Streams launched on May 25, 2021. 18 semi-finalists were selected and each semi-finalist received $100,000 in funding.

Results continue to be satisfactory for the degree of compliance of each of the four national marketing agencies and the two promotion and research agencies under the Farm Products Agencies Act (FPAA) against the FPAA information requirements (production of an annual report and production of audited financial statements) as well as responsiveness to oversight by the Farm Products Council of Canada.

The Indigenous Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative (IAFSI) is a Strategic Partnership Initiative between Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Indigenous Services Canada.

The Initiative aims to increase economic development opportunities for Indigenous Peoples in Canada by building their capacity to participate and succeed in the agriculture sector. The Initiative also supports the development of partnerships between federal and non-federal partners, including Indigenous communities, provincial/territorial governments, and the private sector to ensure a strategic approach to economic development investments for Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

The Initiative provides non-repayable contributions to Indigenous governments and organizations to support economic development activities in agriculture and agri-food sector.

The Indigenous Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative (IAFSI)  received 397 inquiries and 5 project concept forms in 2021–22.

62 formal proposals were received and resulted in 6 Contribution Agreements as a result of networking and collaboration with Indigenous communities and organizations.

Approximately two-thirds of the total contribution agreements in place to date focus on the development of business plans, feasibility studies, and opportunity assessments focused on community readiness and business development for Indigenous communities.

The IAFSI works collaboratively with other Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada programs and Regional Networks to further support Indigenous-led agricultural projects.

In 2021–22, Innovative Solutions Canada continued moving forward with work being done by Canadian small and medium-enterprises on the 4 vote 10 challenges that were issued in 2020–21:

• Bioplastics Challenge – two recipients, two new technologies – Phase 2 funding;
• Precision Agriculture Challenge – two recipients, two new technologies – Phase 2 funding;
• Canadian Meat Processing Automation Challenge – four recipients, four new technologies supported Phase 1 funding, Phase 2 approvals commencing fiscal year 2022–23. and,
• Canadian Controlled Environment Agriculture Farming Challenge – up to nine recipients supported Phase 1 funding, Phase 2 approvals commencing fiscal year 2022–23.

• The Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector contributes to growing the economy
• The Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector is effective in transforming ideas into new products, processes or practices

In 2021–22, the Department, in partnership with lending institutions, continued to support the establishment, improvement and development of farms across Canada through the provision of Canadian Agricultural Loans Act loans.

The performance indicators and results:

• Dollar value of registered loans awarded to established and beginning farmers by lending institutions during the fiscal year: $51.52 million (minimum target: $75.2 million);
• Number of loans made to established and beginning farmers during the fiscal year: 518 (minimum target: 918);
• Defaulted loans as a percentage of the value of total loans at the end of the fiscal year: 0.87% (maximum target: 0.95%); and,
• Percentage of loans received and registered from lenders within 15 business days: 93% (minimum target: 80%)

The primary marketing channel for the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act (CALA) program is through the financial institutions who deliver the program. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada supports these efforts in a variety of ways to encourage awareness and uptake, including: social media campaigns (for example, Facebook, Twitter); direct mail to producers; print advertising in farm/lender publications; as well as print on demand fact sheets for the agricultural lenders which help maintain common messaging and brand identity.

Each year, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada officials also typically attend two or three selected industry trade shows/annual general meetings to communicate the benefits of the program directly to producers and to learn and gather feedback from producers on the program. CALA staff did not attend any trade shows or annual general meetings in 2021–22 due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Beginning in 2020–21 and finishing in 2022–23, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will be completing a study of the Canadian Agricultural Loans Act programs as recommended in the Report to Parliament tabled in May 2021. The study will focus on analying CALA program parameter’s as well as barriers to accessing capital for Indigenous, beginner/young, and women farmers. The study will provide recommendations to the above noted areas which will identify improvements that could be made to the current program.

Dairy Programs, which will be renamed Supply Management Initiatives in 2022–23, includes programs designed to ensure that those in Canada’s supply-managed sectors receive full and fair compensation for recent trade agreements.

The Market Development Program for Turkey and Chicken helps increase domestic demand and consumption of Canadian turkey and chicken products through industry-led promotional activities that differentiate Canadian products and producers, and leverage Canada’s reputation for high quality and safe food.