About the evaluation
- The Office of Audit and Evaluation of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada undertook an evaluation of AgriInvest to assess program relevance, design, delivery, efficiency and effectiveness.
- The evaluation assessed AgriInvest from 2016-17 to 2020-21 using a variety of methods including: a review of program documents, files and literature; interviews with internal and external stakeholders; and analysis of administrative and secondary data.
AgriInvest summary
- Intended to help producers mitigate small income declines, and make investments to manage risk and improve market outcomes.
- Over $1.5 billion in federal and provincial expenditures from 2016-17 to 2020-21.
- Managed in AAFC Programs Branch by the Business Risk Management (BRM) Programs Directorate and administered by the Farm Income Programs Directorate.
What we found
Relevance
- AgriInvest was found to be better suited for medium-sized producers and less so for smaller operations that are considered most at risk. A comprehensive assessment of relevance was not possible due to data limitations.
Design and delivery
- AgriInvest plays a unique role in the BRM suite as it is the only program designed to address minor income declines.
- AgriInvest’s reach was found to be limited for smaller farms and other underrepresented groups (women, Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities who are under-represented in agriculture).
Efficiency
- The Program is efficiently run due to centralized and automated nature of its administration.
Effectiveness
- The program has contributed somewhat to its intended outcomes. The vast majority of producers participating in AgriInvest make contributions, and make the maximum eligible contribution.
- There is no tracking of how AgriInvest funds are used, so the extent to which the Program helps producers mitigate small income declines cannot be fully assessed.
Recommendations
Recommendation 1: The Assistant Deputy Minister, Programs Branch, in consultation with the Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy Branch, should assess whether the AgriInvest program is still relevant and meeting its intended outcomes.
Recommendation 2: The Assistant Deputy Minister, Programs Branch, should improve data collection on the use of AgriInvest funds towards achieving program outcomes.
Recommendation 3: The Assistant Deputy Minister, Programs Branch, should, in consultation with provinces and territories, discuss how to address barriers to participation in AgriInvest.
Management response
Management agrees with the evaluation recommendations and has outlined an action plan to address them by March 31, 2025.