Eligibility

Check if you meet the criteria to apply.

Eligibility checklist

You must meet the following criteria to be eligible.

You need to meet all the eligibility criteria to qualify for the program.

Eligible activities

Eligible activities may include:

building, expanding or modernizing CEA facilities
upgrading facilities to improve productivity, efficiency or sanitation
purchasing and installing equipment and technologies, such as automation, robotics, monitoring systems, and artificial intelligence tools
adopting and scaling technologies and production practices
data management and analytical tools
integration of advanced production technologies, including the development of CEA production systems and practices for emerging or novel crops
training and knowledge-sharing activities that build CEA skills and expertise
testing, adopting, and expanding novel crops and crop varieties, including the systems required to support these novel crops

Eligible activities for Indigenous recipients

If you receive funding, as an Indigenous recipient your eligible activities may also include the following:

Farm management activities
Environmental stewardship practices, including environmental farm plans and beneficial management practices that reflect Indigenous knowledge, priorities, and approaches
Capacity building and organization development
Community food infrastructure and traditional food systems integration, with locally produced food
Indigenous-led market research, capacity building and market development activities
Indigenous developed and focused skills training initiatives relating to traditional and country foodsFootnote ³, medicines and plant knowledge
Where Indigenous-developed expertise is not reasonably available, equivalent training and skills development activities from other qualified providers may be supported

Ineligible activities

The following activities are ineligible:

Activities related to ornamental plants, cannabis, animal feed, or other non-food production, unless otherwise specified as an eligible activity for Indigenous recipients

Eligible costs

Project costs may be eligible as of June 11, 2026. Eligible costs are project expenses that fall within the set program cost categories and respect all program limitations.

To be considered eligible, all costs must:

be included in the budget with the full application form
be directly related to the activities included in the work plan
fall within the work plan activities timeframe
be reasonable, necessary and essential to achieving the project objectives

Eligible costs for Indigenous recipients

For Indigenous recipients funded through a contribution agreement, administrative costs are eligible and will be calculated automatically at a flat rate of 10% of total eligible activity costs, excluding capital expenditures.

Costs incurred before a contribution agreement is signed by both parties, may not be reimbursed by AAFC, and you may be solely responsible for those expenditures.

For more detailed information, refer to Eligible costs (complete the application and apply).

Expected results

In your application, you must show how the activities support any of the following specific outcomes and outputs:

increased adoption of CEA infrastructure, technologies, and production practices
improved productivity, efficiency, and sustainability of CEA operations
increased year-round or extended availability of domestically produced fruits and vegetables
greater diversification of fruits and vegetables grown through CEA

Performance indicators, which are used to measure the relevance and effectiveness of both projects and the program may include the following:

Number of CEA infrastructure, technologies and production practices adopted
Number of CEA facilities established, expanded or modernized
Increase in the diversity of crops and crop varieties produced in the CEA systems
Percentage decrease in water use consumption within funded projects (litres/kg of produce)
Percentage decrease in energy consumption within funded projects (kWh/kg or kWh/m²)
Percentage increase in CEA area that is used for fruit and vegetable production
Percentage increase in total value of fruit and vegetable sales produced in CEA facilities
Increased production of fruits and vegetables year-round within funded projects, including novel crop varieties produced through CEA

Notes

Note 1

AAFC is committed to engaging and fostering meaningful relationships with Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit). Recognizing that Indigenous Peoples have unique and diverse realities, perspectives and needs associated to agriculture and agri-food, the program was designed to be inclusive of Indigenous groups.

If you're unsure whether the program is the right fit for your Indigenous group, the Indigenous Pathfinder Service can help you navigate information, tools, and programming available to start or expand activities in the agriculture and agri-food sector.

Privacy notice statement – call centre

We collect personal information from callers and call centre agents to respond to inquiries regarding agriculture and agri-food sector support programs and services and to facilitate program delivery.

Please note that all calls are recorded. Calls may also be monitored by a manager through a listen-in feature, which is only used for quality assurance purposes.

The collection and use of this information is authorized under the Financial Administration Act and the applicable legislation for the program you are inquiring about, including, but not limited to, the Farm Income Protection Act.

We use personal information to:

identify you, and where required, verify your program participation
respond to your inquiry and provide guidance or services
refer your inquiry to the appropriate program official for resolution
document and manage requests and interactions
administer and deliver Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) programs
improve service delivery and internal processes
monitor call centre agent performance and adherence to call centre policies and procedures
conduct program evaluation, reporting, and quality assurance

Caller information is stored in a Government of Canada–approved cloud solution managed by a vendor under contract with AAFC, with data securely stored in Canada.

The collection of personal information is described in Standard Personal Information Bank (PIB) PSU 914 (Public Communication) and in the program-specific PIB related to the program you are inquiring about, including, but not limited to, the PIB specific to AgriStability and AgriInvest (see Net Income Stabilization Account, PIB PPU 183). Personal information is retained for 2 years and then destroyed, unless it is used for program delivery purposes, in which case it is retained in accordance with the retention period specified in the applicable program-specific PIB.

Under the Privacy Act, you have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information. To exercise these rights, you may contact the Access to Information and Privacy Office at aafc.atip-aiprp.aac@agr.gc.ca.

You also have the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if you believe your personal information has been handled improperly.

If you're an Indigenous applicant, you can contact the Indigenous Pathfinder Service for additional support by email at aafc.indigenouspathfinder-explorateurautochtone.aac@agr.gc.ca or telephone: 1-866-367-8506.

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Note 2

Academic applicants may receive funding for late-stage variety testing that supports commercialization. Research-focused projects are not eligible for funding.

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Note 3

Traditional and country foods are foods that are traditionally harvested, hunted, fished, gathered, grown, or prepared by Indigenous Peoples and that are connected to their lands, waters, cultures, knowledge, and food practices.

For the purposes of this program, support related to traditional and country foods will focus on plant-based foods that can be grown or produced using CEA systems or practices.

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