Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, August 13, 2013 – Today, Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Northwest Territories Industry, Tourism and Investment Minister David Ramsay, announced Growing Forward 2 program details for the agricultural sector in the Northwest Territories (NWT). The announcement follows the signing of the Canada-Northwest Territories Growing Forward 2 multilateral and bilateral contribution agreements.
"Our Government remains focused on creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity for Northwest Territories’ agriculture industry," said Minister Ritz. "Growing Forward 2 provides flexible, innovative programming for Northwest Territories’ hardworking producers to ensure that they have the tools necessary to remain innovative and competitive."
The Growing Forward 2 Agreement will provide approximately $1.2 million per year for the NWT agriculture sector over the next five years – a funding increase of approximately $400,000 per year. Key features of the programming include expansion of the Small Scale Foods Program – community gardens in regions throughout the NWT; increased funding to support traditional food harvesting, including the successful Take a Kid Harvesting program; mentorship delivery through a Human Resources Development Program; agriculture awareness programming; and agriculture research.
“We have witnessed tremendous growth in agriculture initiatives in the Northwest Territories over the past number of years, and the agriculture sector has great potential to grow and diversify our economy,” said Minister David Ramsay. “Through Growing Forward 2, we are helping to increase the supply of locally produced food, diversifying the food basket so healthier options are available and lowering the cost of food for Northwest Territories’ families.”
Growing Forward 2 is a renewed commitment by the federal, provincial and territorial governments to ensure productivity and profitability for Canada’s agricultural sector. With a focus on innovation, competitiveness, and market development, Growing Forward 2 programs are designed to help the industry position itself to respond to future opportunities and to realize its full potential as a significant contributor to the Canadian economy. Programs are tailored to encourage the growth of the NWT’s diverse regional agriculture requirements.
The new five-year Growing Forward 2 agreement includes $2 billion for federal-provincial-territorial strategic initiatives, a 50 percent increase in cost-shared funding, as well as $1 billion for federal-only strategic initiatives. The federal government has announced details of its three federal programs: AgriInnovation, AgriMarketing and AgriCompetitiveness.
For more information on Growing Forward 2, visit agriculture.canada.ca/GrowingForward2.
A complete list of Growing Forward 2 programs in the Northwest Territories is available at http://www.iti.gov.nt.ca/fursagriculturefisheries/growingforward.shtml.
For more information, media may contact:
Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972
Jeff English
Press Secretary
The Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz
613-773-1059
Alayna Ward
Manager, Public Affairs and Communications
Government of the Northwest Territories, Industry, Tourism and Investment
867-920-8696
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