Winnipeg, Manitoba, September 20, 2013 – The Growing Innovation initiative is being launched under the Growing Forward 2 (GF2) federal-provincial agreement to help Manitoba producers and industry leaders turn innovative ideas into realities, Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced today.
“Our Government’s priority remains the economy, and strategic investments in research and innovation work to create jobs and drive economic growth,” said Minister Ritz. “These initiatives will help Manitoba producers and processors develop new techniques and efficiencies to grow their business and keep our economy strong.”
The GF2 Growing Innovation initiative will help build the expertise and capacity in Manitoba to advance innovation activities by supporting research, development and evaluation projects that are conducted on farms and in controlled environments.
“Farmers and industry participants have first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing today’s agriculture, agrifood and agriproduct processes, and are the first to acknowledge the benefit of government support for the research and development of solutions,” said Kostyshyn. “Through this partnership we can create a more competitive position for agribusinesses based on increased productivity, profitability and advanced sustainability.”
The GF2 Growing Innovation initiative includes three programs: On-farm Innovation; Agrifood Research and Development Initiatives; and Capacity and Knowledge Development.
The Growing Innovation – On-Farm program provides financial support to agriculture producers and organizations for projects carried out on farms and ranches that accelerate the adoption of innovative new technologies and/or production practices in primary agriculture, which are from outside of province/country and/or have not yet been adopted on-farm.
The Agrifood Research and Development Initiatives program provides support for industry-led innovation projects that will advance the industry’s market competitiveness, improve productivity and manage risks proactively.
The Capacity and Knowledge Development program supports the development of initiatives that expand Manitoba’s capacity for innovation, information gathering and interpretation capacity and the infrastructure used in the process of innovation.
With the launch of the GF2 Growing Innovation initiative, important programs can receive support to be further developed and implemented. For example, the beef forage platform is a collaborative initiative involving producers, academics and government to target research needs to strengthen resiliency and profitability in Manitoba’s beef and forage sectors through innovation and investment, and maximize the economic, social, environmental and health benefits within their value chains.
Other examples include:
- Research projects at innovation centres like Diversification Centres, Prairie Agriculture Machinery Institute and the University of Manitoba that improve crop production results or address important market sustainability issues;
- Advancements to value-added food processing and new product development to meet consumer demand; and
- Building knowledge through soil survey mapping and the agro-meteorology information system to allow for timely decisions that reduce risks.
The new five-year GF2 Agreement includes a Canada-Manitoba investment of $176 million towards strategic initiatives, a 50 percent increase in cost-shared funding, and $1 billion for federal-only strategic initiatives.
For more information on the national GF2initiatives, visit the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada website Growing Forward 2 at agriculture.canada.ca/growingforward2.
For more information, visit the Manitoba Agriculture Food and Rural Initiatives website at www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture and click on the Growing Innovation link.
For more information, contact:
Cabinet Communications
Province of Manitoba
204-945-1494
Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972
Jeff English
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz
613-773-1059
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