AgriCompetitiveness Program: 2. Eligibility

2. Eligibility

Check if you meet the criteria to apply.

Eligibility checklist

You must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible.

You're one of the following organization types
- Not-for-profit organization: Organizations that operate solely for social welfare, civic improvement, pleasure or recreation, or any other purpose except profit. They may include:
  - association of workers and/or employersnote ¹
  - local community, charitable, or voluntary organization
  - corporation
- Not-for-profit Indigenous (First Nation, Métis, Inuit)note ² organization: A First Nation, Inuk (Inuit) or Métis organization. They may include:
  - First Nations, Inuit or Métis community and/or governmentnote ³
  - First Nations, Inuit or Métis association
  - First Nations, Inuit or Métis not-for-profit organization
You demonstrate the ability to deliver a national and/or agriculture and agri-food sector-wide project that includes, but is not limited to, showing how you can:
- encourage participation from relevant industry stakeholders in the project development and/or implementation
- implement the project nationally
- gather support and buy-in from relevant industry stakeholders in the proposed project through support letters
You're a legal entity capable of entering into legal binding agreements

Ineligible applicants

Ineligible applicants include:

commodity organizations
for-profit organizations
individuals

Eligible activities

There are 5 types of eligible activities.

Building skills, tools, knowledge, and best practices among industry members
Helping the sector build leadership and facilitate knowledge transfer
Increasing business management and planning capacity within the sector
Promoting farm safety
Increasing public trust

We reserve the right to prioritize submitted activities.

Building skills, tools, knowledge, and best practices among industry members

Examples:

dissemination and expansion of skills, tools, knowledge and industry best practices
development of tools to facilitate the implementation of business and strategic plans
development of risk management tools
development or refinement of assessment and planning capacity in the industry, including environmental information and benchmarking analyses

Helping the sector build leadership and facilitate knowledge transfer

Examples:

development of leadership and entrepreneurship throughout the sector for youth, new entrants and young producers
organization of events, conferences, workshops and training
communications, including editing of websites and newsletters to develop, share, and disseminate information regarding industry best practices, farm business management, mental health, farm safety, and agricultural awareness

Increasing business management and planning capacity within the sector

Examples:

development and dissemination of new farm management information, resources, tools, publications
expansion of awareness of farm management practices, business management, assessment and planning capacity
building of capacity and leadership through outreach, networking and training
organization of producer-oriented workshops, seminars, conferences, and information sharing to increase business skills
strengthening the ability of businesses in the sector to manage transformation, respond to change and adopt innovation and risk management tools in their business operations

Promoting farm safety

Example:

development, dissemination and promotion of mental health strategies, farm safety information, resources and tools to help producers, their families and their workers make farms a safer place to live and work

Increasing public trust

Examples:

creation and dissemination of generic agriculture awareness material to increase consumer education and awareness which will contribute to public confidence in Canada's food production systems and promote public trust
promotion of public trust with national consumer education of the Canadian food system, agriculture practices, and careers in the Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector
educational elements undertaken at large national domestic agricultural fairs and exhibitions (such as, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Canadian Western Agribition, Farmfair International, Calgary Stampede), which help advance the Government's priority of raising awareness of Canadian agriculture

Eligible costs

Note: Costs you incur prior to AAFC approval or the project start date may not be reimbursed by AAFC, and you may be solely responsible for those costs.

Eligible costs are project expenses, claimed or contributed, that fall within the set program cost categories and respect all program limitations. To be considered eligible, all costs must be:

included in the project application form budget
related to the activities included in the work plan
fall within the work plan activities timeframe
fall within the effective dates of the contribution agreement

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

Expected results

Your application must show how the activities support the following specific outcomes and outputs:

The expected outcome of the program is an agriculture and agri-food sector which has an increased level of entrepreneurial skill, knowledge and awareness of issues, and best practices. This will ultimately help the sector to:

leverage and coordinate existing capacity
transition and adapt to changing requirements and conditions
seize new opportunities

The program will help producers and agri-businesses, including new entrants, become aware of business management strategies and tools. With training and the necessary tools, the sector will have the ability to adapt to emerging issues (for example, regulatory challenges, sustainability and market opportunities), and advance economic growth. An additional focus of the program is to enhance the entrepreneurial capacity and business skills among industry members.

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

number of participants reached through the capacity building activities supported by the program (for example, number of attendees to management seminars, students participating in classroom activities, and others)
number of capacity building tools, activities, events, etc. supported by the program
increased sector participation rate for projects aimed at building skills and increasing capacity

Notes

Note 1

Associations should operate on a national basis. Consideration may be given to regional not-for-profit associations, where there is no representation at the national level, if you can demonstrate the ability to deliver a project that is national in scope.

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Note 2

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 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 are 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.

For more information, you can contact the Indigenous Pathfinder Service directly by email at aafc.indigenouspathfinder-explorateurautochtone.aac@agr.gc.ca or telephone: 1-866-367-8506.

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Note 3

Indigenous government is an Indigenous group with a signed self-government agreement or modern treaty, such as a Tribal Council.

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