The Government of Canada is now accepting applications for Northern, community-led projects focused on improving food securing in CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 territories.
The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) is seeking applications for phase one of the until March 31.
In June, eight applicants will be chosen to receive funding of up to $250,000 to launch a prototype of their project. The eight groups will be invited to a catalyst workshop in the summer or fall to exchange ideas between applicants and experts.
Proposals should seek to address issues around food production, processing and distribution in remote and vulnerable communities.
Applications are open to not-for-profit, Indigenous and municipal governments, small and medium sized businesses, academic institutions and economic development corporations.
The Northern Food Innovation Challenge, one of three streams under the Northern Isolated Community Initiatives (NICI) Fund, is looking for projects to develop or introduce new technology or processes and build capacity or improve existing methods of Northern food production, distribution, transportation or storage.
On behalf of , a Yellowknife-based organization advocating for social and environmental justice, France Benoit cautions that while funding food security projects is great, the innovation label can sometimes be a trap.
She said the CanNor funding is SA国际影视传媒減otential for a great opportunity and also potential to just keep doing more of the same.SA国际影视传媒�
She explained that SA国际影视传媒渋nnovativeSA国际影视传媒� projects, as they pertain to agriculture, are often focused in hydroponics SA国际影视传媒� a method of growing crops without soil. Hydroponics, in turn, has limitations in what can be grown rapidly and is used for greens, SA国际影视传媒渨hich doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 provide a lot of nutrition,SA国际影视传媒� Benoit said.
SA国际影视传媒淕reens are a wonderful supplement to a meal,SA国际影视传媒� she said, adding that SA国际影视传媒渓ocal food production needs to be increased swiftly and drastically in the North.SA国际影视传媒� She suggested projects rely on root vegetables, which are more calorie dense and donSA国际影视传媒檛 require big infrastructure to grow.
SA国际影视传媒淚f communities donSA国际影视传媒檛 have soil, we can make it with compost and natural products,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
Benoit, who runs a farming operation called LeRefuge Farms, described a food economy of increasingly fewer options.
She recalls the 2015 wildfires that created obstacles in shipping food into the territory. Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, she tells of more SA国际影视传媒渕ajor disruptions in the food system.SA国际影视传媒�
She said she can no longer just decide what kinds of foods to produce for her business but must instead first determine which ingredients are available to her.
SA国际影视传媒淭hatSA国际影视传媒檚 never something ISA国际影视传媒檝e had to do before,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
By February 2023, three of the funding finalists will move on to phase two of the Northern Food Innovation Challenge. Finalists will receive an additional $1 million of funding to focus on scaling and implementing projects at the local level.
While CanNor spokesperson Naomi Sharpe said they aim to have representation from all territories for Phase one, the cohortSA国际影视传媒檚 final makeup will be based on individual project assessments.
The solutions likely to be the most successful, Benoit said, tackle broad projects and assess all aspects of food security in the North.
SA国际影视传媒淚t is a good news story,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚t would be a really good news story if the funding programs were part of a broad food security project that the community organization gets funding so itSA国际影视传媒檚 not just funding technology and innovation.SA国际影视传媒�
