Helping British Columbia Farmers Identify and Manage Risk

ABBOTSFORD, BC, Nov. 24, 2017 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to working with agricultural industry partners and the private sector to explore and develop new risk management tools that meet the needs of Canadian farmers when faced with serious challenges beyond their control.

Member of Parliament for Mission — Matsqui — Fraser Canyon, Jati Sidhu, on behalf of Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lawrence MacAulay, today announced a $124,000 investment for BC Agriculture Council (BCAC) to develop a generic risk assessment framework that could be adapted and used by different commodity sectors to identify risks, potential mitigation strategies and tools for each unique sector. Using feedback from commodity organizations, the project will examine the economic impact of various risks (i.e., production, financial, market, or other types of risks) and then demonstrate the use of that risk assessment tool on sectors, including greenhouse/nursery, cattle, grain and blueberry.

Quotes

"Agriculture in B.C. is diverse, with each sector facing its own unique set of risks. This investment will help BC farmers access the information and tools they need to better understand and mitigate those risks, so they can continue to drive economic growth and create good, well-paying jobs."
-       Jati Sidhu, Member of Parliament for Mission — Matsqui — Fraser Canyon

"Much of farming is about managing risk and opportunities, the weather, pests, interest rates and trade deals. This project will help us as farmers understand and document all of the risks we face and begin identifying ways to best manage those risks."
-       Jason Smith, Abbotsford blueberry farmer and project participant.

Quick Facts

• In 2015, BC's agriculture sector reported farm cash receipts valued at $3.08 billion, and employed 21,039 people. 
• BC Agriculture Council (BCAC) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that provides leadership in the advocacy and proactive communication of the collective interests of all agricultural producers in British Columbia, and facilitates the delivery of programs and services that benefit BC agriculture.
• This investment is being made through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's AgriRisk Initiatives (ARI) which supports the research and development as well as the implementation and administration of new risk management tools for use in the agriculture sector. AgriRisk is a Growing Forward 2, Business Risk Management initiative.

Associated Links

• Growing Forward 2 (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
• AgriRisk (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
• BC Agriculture Council

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SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Halifax

For further information: Contacts: Guy Gallant, Director of Communications, Office of the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, 613-773-1059; Media Relations: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, 613-773-7972, 1-866-345-7972

Related Links

www.agr.gc.ca