Mabou, NS – In Cape Breton’s Inverness and Victoria counties, industry collaboration is helping attract new entrants to the agricultural sector and is strengthening overall economic performance. Non-profit organizations like the Inverness/Victoria Federation of Agriculture work to improve collaboration, co-operation and consultation among industry members, through shared resources and knowledge transfer. Members of the Federation have a common objective to promote the sustainability of regional growth in the agriculture and agri-food sectors.
The volunteer-run association has served the agricultural community in the Inverness and Victoria areas for more than 80 years. Through the Inverness/Victoria Federation of Agriculture machine rental services, member farms are able to access specialized farm equipment to increase productivity and encourage innovative farming methods. The community-shared equipment helps to grow established farms and attract new producers by offsetting high start-up costs for new operations.
Rodger Cuzner, Member of Parliament for Cape Breton – Canso, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for the
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), announced a $183,720 non-repayable contribution through ACOA’s
Business Development Program to assist the Inverness/Victoria Federation of Agriculture with the purchase of new agricultural equipment for community use.
The contribution will allow the Federation to advance and diversify its machine rental services to include new equipment and technology with BioSecurity features to prevent the spread of contamination between farms, increase operational efficiencies and streamline methods for collecting, clearing and processing crops.
The Province of Nova Scotia, through the Nova Scotia Farm Loan Board, provided an $80,000 loan towards the project.
This investment builds on commitments made by the Government of Canada and the four Atlantic Provinces to drive economic growth in the region through the
Atlantic Growth Strategy, which supports strategic investments that accelerate the growth of resource-based industries such as the fisheries, forestry and agriculture.