Western Agriculture Councils Form Value Chain Initiative

CANADA - Agriculture councils from the four western provinces have joined forces to form a new initiative designed to encourage the development of inter-provincial value chains, writes Bruce Cochrane.
calendar icon 4 January 2008
clock icon 3 minute read

The Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council has partnered with the British Columbia Investment Agriculture Foundation, the Alberta Agriculture and Food Council, the Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan, and their respective provincial governments to form the Western Canadian Value Chain Initiative.

MRAC Value Chain Coordinator Kristin Yaworski-Lowdon explains the initiative is intended to increase awareness of value chain development and what value chains are and to assist in the development of value chains across borders.

Kristin Yaworski-Lowdon-Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council

Each Council, MRAC included, delivers a funding program called the Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agrifood on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada so we do have a funding program in place to assist in funding certain projects and product development.

That's a national program that we administer and that will assist value chain development activities.

Usually value chains will start at a concept, idea stage and there will be a lot of market development type of activities that will be required before a new product is launched into the market place so a lot of those activities we would be able to assist in.

Value chains are basically designed as a market focused demand driven rather than your traditional supply driven process that will link producers with processors and retailers and even people in the food service industry trying to get everyone to work together and collaborate to a bring new product forward and access new markets.


Yaworski-Lowdon says any broad spectrum of people involved in a food supply chain, including farmers, processors, marketers and organizations are eligible to participate.

She notes more detailed information can be obtained through the MRAC web site at www.mrac.ca.

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