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Controlled Environment Agriculture Growth Pathway Program: Expanding Local Food Production in Rural and Northern Communities Stream
Funding for rural and northern local food production
Funding available
$ 100,000 - $ 10,000,000
Deadline
December 23, 2026
Opened October 30, 2026
Location
Canada
Who can apply
Eligible applicants include academia; for-profit organizations; Indigenous individuals, communities, governments and organizations; not-for-profit organizations; and provincial, territorial or municipal governments and administrations.
See full eligibility
Overview
The Expanding Local Food Production in Rural and Northern Communities Stream offers non-repayable contributions of $100,000 to $10 million for locally tailored food production solutions in rural and northern communities. Activities include facility construction or upgrades, technology adoption, training, feasibility studies, and food infrastructure or transportation where controlled environment agriculture is not feasible.
/100
Opportunity Score
Moderate potential, but conditions must align.
At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Increase production or service capacity
- Develop a new product or service
- Increase operational productivity
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 10,000,000 $
- Minimum amount : 100,000 $
- Up to 75% of project cost
Funds Providers
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- All industries
Location
- Canada
Legal structures
- Non-financial cooperative
- For-profit business
- Social economy enterprise
- Non-profit
- Public or Parapublic institution
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- All groups
Non-profit candidates
Sector of operation
- All industries
Target groups
- All the groups
Revenue structures
- All structures
Scope
- All dimensions
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
Availability timeline
2026
Periods: 3
Activities funded
- Building, expanding, modernizing or upgrading controlled environment agriculture facilities, and purchasing or installing equipment and technologies such as automation, robotics, monitoring systems and artificial intelligence tools.
- Adopting or scaling technologies and production practices; using data management and analytics tools; integrating advanced production technologies; and developing systems and practices for emerging or novel crops.
- Training and knowledge-sharing, testing or expanding novel crops and crop varieties, feasibility studies for facility construction, expansion or modernization, and transporting materials, equipment and first-season growing inputs to rural and northern regions.
- Where controlled environment agriculture is not feasible because of energy, climate, geographic or infrastructure limitations: local food production, storage and processing infrastructure; harvesting equipment; equipment and supplies; transportation; and training, certification and educational activities.
- For Indigenous recipients, farm management; environmental stewardship; capacity building and organizational development; community food infrastructure and traditional food systems integration; Indigenous-led market research and development; and Indigenous-developed skills training relating to traditional and country foods, medicines and plant knowledge, with equivalent training from other qualified providers where Indigenous-developed expertise is not reasonably available.
Documents Needed
- Certificate of Incorporation or Articles of Incorporation; these are not required for First Nations, Band Councils and Tribal Councils, and other Indigenous applicants may provide a directors’ resolution, self-government agreement or modern treaty agreement, or a legal document stating they are a legal entity.
- Audited or Review Engagement financial statements for the last 2 years, including an income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement.
- An organization chart and a diagram of the organization’s corporate structure.
- Signed copies of all financing agreements related to the project financing plan.
- A detailed project budget; quotes, estimates and/or contracts; and, if applicable, regulatory permits and/or patents, project endorsement or support letters, and inter-company or other agreements impacting the proposed project.
Sources and recorded changes
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
Eligible applicants include academia; for-profit organizations; Indigenous individuals, communities, governments and organizations; not-for-profit organizations; and provincial, territorial or municipal governments and administrations.
Who is not eligible
Applicants outside the eligible organization types, projects that do not serve a rural or northern community, and projects that do not align with eligible food-production activities are not eligible. Activities related to ornamental plants, cannabis, animal feed or other non-food production are ineligible unless specifically allowed for Indigenous recipients.
Eligible expenses
- Capital expenditures for tangible assets required to execute the project.
- Salaries and benefits for staff carrying out activities in the project work plan, excluding financial or performance reporting for the project.
- Contracted professional or specialized services, including inspection, consultant or expert services, and installation or construction.
- Project travel directly related to installing technologies and equipment, limited to economy rates; per diem covers accommodation, meals, incidentals and air or ground transportation.
- Other direct project costs, including translation, permits, equipment or machinery rental or lease, goods and services, shipping and transportation, and project materials or consumables. Administrative costs are eligible only for Indigenous recipients funded through a contribution agreement, at a flat rate of 10% of total eligible activity costs excluding capital expenditures.
Ineligible Costs and Activities
- Activities related to ornamental plants, cannabis, animal feed, or other non-food production are ineligible, unless otherwise specified as an eligible activity for Indigenous recipients.
Eligible geographic areas
- The project must serve a rural or northern community. A rural community is all territory located outside population centres. The North, as defined by the Standard Geographical Classification, includes any community in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon, as well as the northern part of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Selection criteria
- Projects with the greatest potential for benefits are given priority for funding.
- Assessment considers the extent to which the project advances the stream objectives of improving access to locally produced foods, strengthening food security and community food resilience, reducing reliance on long, vulnerable and high-cost food supply chains, and supporting locally tailored solutions to production challenges.
- Assessment considers the applicant’s capacity to deliver the project within the proposed timelines and budget, and whether proposed activities and costs are eligible, reasonable and necessary to achieve project objectives.
- Where applicable, assessment considers the applicant’s performance on previous Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada funding agreements.
- Projects may be prioritized based on alignment with existing Government of Canada policies and priorities, where appropriate.
How to apply
- Access your program information, select Grants and contributions, choose a secure sign-in method, and sign in or sign up.
- Start a new application, complete the Expanding Local Food Production in Rural and Northern Communities Project Summary Form, and submit it.
- If invited to Stage 2, access the online application form and complete it.
- Complete and save the detailed project budget, then upload it with the required supporting documents and any applicable documents.
- Complete the application details and submit the complete application.
Processing and Agreement
- AAFC sends an acknowledgement notice after the application is submitted; the application is considered submitted once the acknowledgement is received by email.
- AAFC verifies that the application is complete and contains sufficient detail. If it is incomplete, AAFC may request information or place it on hold.
- Complete applications are assessed by program administrators and other technical reviewers within AAFC.
- If approved, the applicant receives a written decision letter outlining the funding awarded and any other conditions, then works with a program officer to review approval details and negotiate a contribution agreement that must be signed to receive funding.
- Approved recipients must report on finances, performance and results, including progress reports, annual and end-of-project performance reports, financial reports with each reimbursement request, and other requested reports.
Additional information
- Under the contribution agreement, the recipient or a third party will own intellectual property created or developed under the agreement, while AAFC must be granted the right to use the material or information for AAFC and other Government of Canada purposes.
Contacts
Other components of this program
Explore related funding streams and grants that belong to the same program.
- Controlled Environment Agriculture Growth Pathway Program: Controlled Environment Agriculture Technology Adoption StreamFunding for controlled environment agriculture technology adoption
Frequently Asked Questions about the Controlled Environment Agriculture Growth Pathway Program: Expanding Local Food Production in Rural and Northern Communities Stream Program
What is the Controlled Environment Agriculture Growth Pathway Program: Expanding Local Food Production in Rural and Northern Communities Stream?
The Expanding Local Food Production in Rural and Northern Communities Stream offers non-repayable contributions of $100,000 to $10 million for locally tailored food production solutions in rural and northern communities. Activities include facility construction or upgrades, technology adoption, training, feasibility studies, and food infrastructure or transportation where controlled environment agriculture is not feasible.
How much funding can be received?
Controlled Environment Agriculture Growth Pathway Program: Expanding Local Food Production in Rural and Northern Communities Stream Funds up to 75% of admissible expenses, capped at $10,000,000 per project.
What is the deadline to apply?
The application deadline for this grant program is December 23, 2026. Applicants must submit their complete application before this date to be considered for funding.
Who is eligible for the Controlled Environment Agriculture Growth Pathway Program: Expanding Local Food Production in Rural and Northern Communities Stream program?
To be eligible for the Controlled Environment Agriculture Growth Pathway Program: Expanding Local Food Production in Rural and Northern Communities Stream program, you must:
Eligible projects must serve a rural or northern community, be submitted by an eligible Canadian organization or Indigenous applicant, include eligible food-production activities, and demonstrate financing for the applicant’s share of project costs.
What expenses are eligible under Controlled Environment Agriculture Growth Pathway Program: Expanding Local Food Production in Rural and Northern Communities Stream?
Capital expenditures for tangible assets required to execute the project.
Salaries and benefits for staff carrying out activities in the project work plan, excluding financial or performance reporting for the project.
Contracted professional or specialized services, including inspection, consultant or expert services, and installation or construction.
Project travel directly related to installing technologies and equipment, limited to economy rates; per diem covers accommodation, meals, incidentals and air or ground transportation.
Other direct project costs, including translation, permits, equipment or machinery rental or lease, goods and services, shipping and transportation, and project materials or consumables. Administrative costs are eligible only for Indigenous recipients funded through a contribution agreement, at a flat rate of 10% of total eligible activity costs excluding capital expenditures.
Who can I contact for more information about the Controlled Environment Agriculture Growth Pathway Program: Expanding Local Food Production in Rural and Northern Communities Stream?
You can contact Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) by email at aafc.cea-aec.aac@agr.gc.ca or by phone at 1-877-246-4682.
Where is the Controlled Environment Agriculture Growth Pathway Program: Expanding Local Food Production in Rural and Northern Communities Stream available?
The Controlled Environment Agriculture Growth Pathway Program: Expanding Local Food Production in Rural and Northern Communities Stream program is available across Canada.