All Canadians, regardless of where they live, deserve to have access to affordable and nutritious food. Communities in every region have their own unique challenges when it comes to food security, and this is especially true for Northern and remote communities.
Today, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, along with the Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, the Honourable Daniel Vandal, launched a new phase of the Local Food Infrastructure Fund (LFIF), with an investment of up to $20 million. This funding, available over the next two years, will support community-based and not-for-profit organizations in their efforts to create long-term solutions to address food security challenges.
This new phase of the Local Food Infrastructure Fund has been tailored to meet the needs of Indigenous, Northern and remote communities by providing funding to help them build a food system that will meet both current and future community needs. For example, a project could help expand a community harvest program to include traditional methods for transforming food and distribution.
Program details and requirements are available now, and applications for this intake phase can be submitted from June 1 until July 15, 2022. The release of program details ahead of the intake process will provide potential applicants with additional time to review the program guide, create partnerships with neighbouring communities, ask questions and get feedback from program officials.
Eligible projects must be infrastructure-specific, community-driven and dedicated to improving access to healthy, nutritious, and local foods for Canadians at risk of food insecurity. Grant funding for projects can range from $100,000 to $500,000 to support larger initiatives that will have a lasting impact in communities.
The next phase of the Local Food Infrastructure Fund underscores the Government of Canada's commitment to support projects that will help build capacity in our communities for generations to come.
