Province of Manitoba accepting applications under two new funding streams for agriculture producers

Dauphin, Manitoba – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada  

The Manitoba government has opened intakes for two new programs that provide funding to support sustainable farming in Manitoba, federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson announced today.

The Sustainable Agriculture Manitoba (SAM) program provides funding to help farmers and land managers implement cost-shared beneficial management practices that increase the environmental and economic sustainability of agriculture operations in Manitoba. Priority areas for funding include climate change adaptation and mitigation, air quality, water quality and quantity, soil health and biodiversity.

Minister Johnson noted a variety of beneficial management practices are eligible for cost-shared funding in categories including cropland management, manure and livestock management and water management. 

Practices in these categories have been developed with the goal of ensuring enhanced environmental outcomes and will support federal climate objectives, as well as provincial goals under the Manitoba Protein Advantage Strategy, the Water Management Strategy and the Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan.

Funding for the agriculture sector is also available through the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program (RALP), a cost-shared federal-provincial/territorial program funded under the Sustainable CAP that supports the provision of ecological goods and services by the agriculture sector, such as maintaining and restoring grasslands and wetlands on agricultural lands, Johnson noted.

Funding through the RALP: Carbon Sequestration and Grassland Resilience stream will support on-farm beneficial management practices and projects that enhance the provision of ecological goods and services, with an emphasis on projects that sequester carbon and improve sustainability and productivity through grassland management and agroforestry practices. Eligible applicants include community pastures, agricultural Crown land forage lease-holders, Indigenous farmers and communities, including First Nations and Métis, and farmers outside of Watershed District boundaries.

Minister Johnson also noted that watershed districts are eligible for RALP: Watershed Resilience programming, where the districts will collaborate with farmers within district boundaries to implement projects on agricultural land. Farmers are encouraged to contact their local watershed districts to inquire about any potential programs that may be available.

Minister Johnson noted applicants for these environmental programs must have a valid statement of completion for an environmental farm plan at the time of claim.