Farm & Food Care Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness have announced a new funding agreement that will see OMAFA commit up to $597,000 in FFCO’s outreach initiatives over the next three years.
FFCO says the funding will enhance its ability to expand its programming and connect with a broader audience across Ontario and beyond. As a registered Canadian charity, the organization is funded primarily by farmers, farm organizations, agribusinesses, and others through memberships and program partnerships.
“Our government is investing in Farm & Food Care Ontario so they can continue to raise public awareness and build trust in Ontario’s farmers and food businesses,” says Trevor Jones, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. “When people know where their food comes from, they can easily choose the freshest, most delicious food to feed their families. This has the added benefits of supporting Ontario’s farmers, communities and our economy and helping to protect the Ontario agriculture and food industry and local food supply chain.”
Janelle Cardiff, FFCO chair says the funding commitment is encouraging news and a great show of support for the organization's efforts. "It reiterates the importance of engaging farmers and the public in meaningful conversations. This funding will allow us to continue offering unique opportunities to advocate for agriculture across Ontario and expand our initiatives even further.”
The funding enables the organization’s projects to have a significantly larger cross-sector impact and will support six activities until 2028, says an FFCO release. These activities include:
- Large-scale consumer outreach events, including Breakfast on/from the Farm, which provide a space for the public to connect with agriculture in meaningful ways and allow non-farming Ontarians to explore modern Ontario agriculture and meet farmers each year;
- Food industry outreach, including day-long farm and food processing tours for culinary students, chefs and other food industry professionals, as well as webinars and other relationship-building activities between Ontario agriculture and the food industry;
- More than a Migrant Worker, an award-winning initiative, completed in partnership with the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, that showcases the critical work done by seasonal agricultural workers in Ontario through interviews, photography, and video storytelling;
- A library of agricultural resources developed for those promoting agricultural awareness through events, fall fairs, and other community agricultural programming. This library includes the rentable FarmFood360 virtual reality kiosk that provides farm and food processing VR tours and other displays and signage.
- Free, up-to-date farm photo and digital asset library available to industry and media to accurately represent Ontario agriculture, as well as digital resources to promote Local Food Week and Ontario Agriculture Week;
- Training for farmers and agri-business professionals on how to effectively communicate with non-farming Ontarians.
