About the evaluation
- The Office of Audit and Evaluation of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada undertook an evaluation of the AgriMarketing Program to assess relevance, efficiency and effectiveness.
- The evaluation assessed the Program from 2018-19 to 2022-23 using a variety of methods including: a review of program documents, project files and literature; interviews with internal and external stakeholders; and analyses of administrative and financial data.
What we found
Agrimarketing summary
- AgriMarketing aims to increase and diversify exports to international markets and to seize domestic market opportunities through industry-led promotional activities.
- Over $106 million in planned expenditures from 2018–19 to 2022–23.
- Managed by the Programs Branch, AgriMarketing uses national industry associations to deliver 102 individual projects.
Relevance
- The AgriMarketing Program supports a strong national export promotion approach and helps exporters overcome sector complexities and international marketplace challenges.
- Greater federal coordination is needed to limit the risk of duplication between the many programs and services offered in the export promotion and market development area, and to bolster awareness of these resources.
Efficiency
- AgriMarketing was administered efficiently; Canada spends less to achieve its export promotion outcomes than comparable countries.
- A broader dissemination of knowledge gained from AgriMarketing project outputs, lessons learned or best practices could increase the Program’s return on investment.
Effectiveness
- AgriMarketing achieved its outcomes by increasing visibility and supporting the sector to seize export opportunities in key foreign and domestic markets.
- Performance data improvements are required to ensure that results can be reported accurately and in a timely manner to support program monitoring and evaluation.
- Supporting project flexibility in changing market conditions and mitigating overexposure to specific markets would better support the program’s export diversification objective.
Recommendations
Recommendation 1: The Assistant Deputy Minister, Programs Branch in consultation with International Affairs Branch, enhance Federal coordination and exporter awareness of market development and promotional supports.
Recommendation 2: The Assistant Deputy Minister, Programs Branch improve the quality and timeliness of performance information and the sharing of best practices and lessons learned.
Recommendation 3: The Assistant Deputy Minister, Programs Branch integrate design changes specifically targeting greater project flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions and diversification of projects to support a more proactive export promotion approach.
Management response
Management agrees with the evaluation recommendations and has developed an action plan to address them by January 31, 2024.