Federal Agriculture and Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay. (Submitted photo)Federal Agriculture and Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay. (Submitted photo)
Sarnia

New fund to help agriculture with new technology

Part of Canada's Agriculture Day Tuesday included an announcement for a new program to help facilitate agriculture's ability to address emerging issues and capitalize on opportunities.

It's called the Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program, or (CASPP), and is an investment of $50.3 million over five years.

CASPP focuses on four priority areas: adoption of new technology; environmental sustainability; strategic development and capacity building; and, emerging issues.

Examples of potential projects could include those addressing artificial intelligence technology, tools to assess future labour and skills needs, bio-crops, environmentally sustainable farming techniques and strategies to help the sector adapt to changes in consumer preferences.

Canada's agriculture and agri-food system contributes over $114 billion to the country's gross domestic product.

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