Tag: Agriculture and Food awards
-
The Rural Economic Development (RED) is Accepting Applications
What is the RED Program? Rural Economic Development (RED) is a cost-share funding program that supports projects that remove barriers to economic development in rural communities. What are RED Outcomes? RED applications are assessed on their ability to result in one or more of the following: Jobs retained or created Investments attracted or retained Businesses…
-
Learn the fundamentals of BR+E on September 19, 2019 in Blyth, Ontario
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ (OMAFRA) Business Retention and Expansion program (BR+E) is a structured, four-stage approach focused on ensuring that local businesses in rural communities survive and thrive. When communities take on a BR+E project, they take meaningful steps towards retaining and expanding businesses by getting a clear understanding of…
-
Do You Have a Water Contingency Plan?
In 2016, many areas of the province saw very warm and dry conditions. In 2017, the opposite occurred. Many areas of the province experienced excessive amounts rain, leading to saturated soils and flooding. There are many resources, including publications from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), that can help farmers manage water…
-
Recap: June Downtown Revitalization Community of Practice on Addressing Seasonality
We recently held our fourth online community of practice for Ontario’s downtown revitalization community. The session focused on events, promotions, and other activities communities are using to address seasonality, and to keep their downtowns a destination beyond traditional summer and winter peak seasons. Here’s a quick summary of the session: Sue Nicholson, General Manager of…
-
Become a Local Food Broader Public Sector Champion
Ontario’s local food industry impacts our economy, our environment and our culture. The local food value chain includes farmers, processors, distributors, retailers, restaurants, other food service organizations like the broader public sector, who are working to provide quality products to Ontarians. In March of 2019, the Government of Ontario established the final goal of the…
-
Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario –Excellence in Agriculture Award Recipient
The Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario (EFAO) was recently presented with an Excellence in Agriculture Award. Chosen from more than 100 innovative project submissions, EFAO won for their Farmer-led Research program, The Excellence in Agriculture Awards recognize agri-food businesses, individuals and organizations that have raised the bar for agri-food excellence, demonstrated leadership in their field,…
-
Agricultural Advisory Committees – Positively Impact Your Community
Agricultural Advisory Committees (AAC) are made up of community stakeholders such as Councillors, municipal staff, farmers, farm stakeholders or organizations, and other interested residents within the community. The purpose of the committee is to help shift the lens towards agriculture when it comes to deciding upon new policies, plans and processes. AACs are tremendously important…
-
Tips and Tricks for Labour Retention and Attraction in Rural Communities
So, what’s the problem? To attract and retain workers, rural communities need to be more creative and attentive than their urban counterparts. In urban areas, there are a lot of features to attract workers– the variety of restaurants, tons of entertainment activities, and close proximity to all the services you could need. On the other…
-
Growing Local- How Two Farmers Facilitated Economic Growth in Their Community
As the summer season begins, one thing you can always count on are on the opening of local farmers’ markets. These markets are filled to the brim with an abundance of farm fresh produce ready to bring home and share with family and friends. As you look forward to your weekly farmers’ market, you can…
-
June 5th Downtown Revitalization Online Community of Practice
Surviving and Thriving with Seasonality Join the growing network of practitioners interested in economic development and downtown revitalization when the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) hosts the next session in the series, on June 5, 2019, from 10:30-12:00. Previous sessions have focused on measuring progress on downtown revitalization, undertaking physical improvements…