Competitive & Innovative Sector

Innovation and Commercialization of New Opportunities
for Agri-based Products
The goal of this program is to increase the competitiveness and profitability of the Nova Scotia agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector by supporting the innovation and commercialization of new opportunities. This program provides support to projects demonstrating readiness to advance a technology that is approaching market readiness, as well as pre-research activities to investigate and develop potential new innovations (e.g., products, processing), markets and business opportunities.

Technology Development Program
The Technology Development 2000 program supports the development and adaptation of new and leading agricultural technologies and knowledge that will enhance the competitive position of Nova Scotia's agriculture and agri-food industry. Growing Forward supports Technology Development projects in the areas of production and product innovation as well as environmental research.

Supporting the Innovative Capacity of Farmers
This initiative will provide funds to farmers, groups of farmers and commodity associations to support investments in the development or adaptation of technical innovations in primary agriculture, which contribute to on-farm profitability and competitiveness. Critical to the effectiveness of this program will be the dissemination of knowledge gained through these projects. Under this initiative, emphasis will be placed on smaller-scale projects not funded through existing programming. Eligible activities include the assessment or adoption of a piece of specialized equipment, new technology or best management practice to primary agriculture as well as variety, cultivar and management trials.

Business Development Initiative: The goal of Nova Scotia's Business Development Initiative is to support the development of the agri-food sector and entrepreneurs through the provision of business information, programs and services. These include:

• Business Development and Market Enhancement: Farm Investment Fund - Category A and the Agri-Food Industry Development Fund - Category A offer funding to farmers and agri-businesses in order to identify and prioritize business goals, improve planning, attend business workshops, conduct market and product development research and analysis, engage in skill development and training opportunities and much more.
   
• New Entrants: A committee has been established within the Department of Agriculture to develop and implement a strategy to attract and support new entrants to Nova Scotia’s agriculture industry. This initiative includes assessing what is needed to attract new entrants. Programming will also target audiences outside the traditional agricultural sectors. For further information about this initiative, contact the chair, New Entrants Committee.
   
• Agricultural Awareness: Agricultural Awareness activities will focus on promoting a positive image for agriculture by highlighting farm level practices that speak to the general public's interest in their food source and to raise the awareness and profile of agricultural career opportunities. For further information on this initiative, contact the department’s Agriculture Awareness Coordinator.
   
• Single Window and Navigation Pathfinding Support for On-Farm Development Initiative: A committee within the department will investigate and implement projects designed to improve and expand the province’s front end advisory capacity to assist producers and agri-businesses in assessing their specific development needs, including business development needs. For further information on this initiative, contact the chair, Single Window Committee.

Strategic Infrastructure Investment Fund: The Strategic Infrastructure Investment Fund (Category F - Agri-Food Industry Development Fund) provides funding for physical and human infrastructure projects that strategically position the industry to capture new market opportunities.

Graduate Research Training Initiative: This scholarship initiative encourages highly-qualified students to undertake graduate studies, thus building a professional capacity to meet the future needs of Nova Scotia's agri-food industry. The objective of this program is to provide financial support to graduate students at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College whose research is of benefit to Nova Scotia’s agriculture and agri-food industry in one of the three strategic priority areas: a competitive and innovative sector; a sector that contributes to society's priorities; a sector that is proactive in managing risks.

A Sector that Contributes to Society's Priorities

Environmental Farm Plan Program: The Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) is a voluntary program that helps farmers identify and assess environmental risk on their property. It allows farmers to be proactive on environmental issues and incorporate environmental considerations into their everyday business decisions. Farmers work with an EFP program coordinator to develop a confidential environmental farm plan for their operation. Farmers with completed EFPs are eligible to apply for federal and provincial cost-shared funding to implement beneficial management practices. The EFP program is delivered through the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture (NSFA).

Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs): This program (Category G - Farm Investment Fund) is comprised of a comprehensive set of beneficial management practices to assist farmers mitigate on-farm environmental risk and to conserve energy. The program provides an opportunity to address items identified in their individual environmental farm plan or energy assessment. The enhanced program provides more opportunity and increased incentives to advance environmental farm stewardship and energy conservation for Nova Scotia producers.

Energy Conservation Program: The objective of this initiative is to protect the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through research and the adoption of energy conservation and alternate energy systems. A farm energy specialist will help farmers in assessing energy usage (i.e. electricity and heating fuel) on their farm and identify measures that can make their farm more energy efficient. Education, awareness and pilot projects will also be undertaken. Particular emphasis will be placed on the adoption of technologies which reduce energy requirements of the farm, as well as those which utilize waste produced through the production process. To arrange for an energy assessment, contact the department’s farm energy specialist.

Water Management: The objective of this program is to develop and protect water resources in response to the public's concern for safe and adequate water for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes. Financial assistance is targeted to ensure the supply of quality water for the maintenance and growth of the farm's production base. Eligible activities under this program include tile drainage, surface ditching and leveling of ditch spoil, and land forming on incorporated dyke land/marsh bodies only. Funding for water management is available through the Farm Investment Fund Categories B (Land Development and Protection) and G (Environmental Farm Stewardship BMP 31 and 32).

Food Safety Implementation: Activities funded under the on-farm and post-farm food safety programs below must be based on food safety guidelines and/or federal/provincial regulations.

• On-Farm Food Safety: Farm Investment Fund - Category D aims to help farmers meet market demands and sell more products by supporting the adoption of practices that improve food safety on farms. This program for non-meat operations provides financial support for activities such as HACCP development, implementation and first certification audits as well as for food contact surfaces, hand washing units, monitoring devices, etc.
• Post-Farm Food Safety: Through the Agri-Food Industry Development Fund:
1. Category C - funding is available to assist agri-businesses (non-meat) with direct costs of addressing food compliance issues, including HACCP related expenditures and capital costs required to meet HACCP standards (e.g., consultant fees, monitoring equipment to meet HACCP, non-contact handwashing units).
2. Category D - funding is available to assist slaughter and meat processing facilities in meeting provincial inspection criteria.

Food Safety Outreach Initiative: Nova Scotia’s outreach program will involve projects designed to promote the adoption of food safety systems by industry (including non-registered facilities), educate stakeholders on food safety systems, and facilitate the communication and collaboration among the food safety coordinator, primary products food safety inspectors, and food safety specialists (certified public health inspectors) within the department. It will provide tools and information to stakeholders on food safety systems. The program will provide outreach and training for:

• producers (on-farm food safety) to meet national commodity standards and, in the absence of national standards, it will provide outreach and training for producers in general food safety principles;
• new entrants, both producers and agri-businesses;
• producers and agri-businesses transitioning into a new area or to a novel area for their product or commodity; and
• non-registered meat facilities to move toward implementation of national standards and, in the absence of approved national standards toward draft national standards, or CODEX.

For further information on this initiative, contact Food Protection and Enforcement.

A Sector that is Proactive in Managing Risk

Traceability Infrastructure: Growing Forward has a focus on assisting farmers respond to market demands and improve risk management by supporting the acquisition of infrastructure to track animals, plants and products. Farm Investment Fund - Category C and the Agri-Food Industry Development Fund - Category B provide funding to farmers and agri-businesses, transporters, service industries, processors, distributors and retailers, community pasture groups, livestock exhibitions, sales barns, and others to assist in the purchase and installation of traceability infrastructure and the training of staff to implement traceability systems. Pilot projects will also be funded through Nova Scotia’s Traceability Infrastructure program.

Biosecurity Implementation: An initiative to provide and enhance biosecurity systems and processes to support the early adoption of biosecurity systems. Priority will be given to industry-developed and government-approved biosecurity systems. However, this initiative will also provide funding for industries that are in the process of having a biosecurity system developed and approved, or to any industry that is interested in increasing biosecurity on farm. Funding will be used to deliver biosecurity awareness seminars, workshops and training to industry; disseminate biosecurity kits; and conduct pilot projects on farm to be used as a model/demonstration of the implementation of industry-developed and government-approved biosecurity systems. Further information on Nova Scotia’s biosecurity implementation initiative can be obtained from the department’s program veterinarian.