Abbotsford Community Foundation has allocated over $212,000 in grants from the Abbotsford Agricultural Enhancement Fund (AAEF) established last year by the City of Abbotsford.
Abbotsford was granted permission to exclude lands from the Agricultural Land Reserve for industrial development to facilitate new job creation and economic growth. As part of this, the city made a commitment to ensure there would be a net benefit to agriculture.
“The Foundation’s AAEF Grants Committee developed criteria that focused on attracting projects that would enhance the agricultural industry in Abbotsford through education and advocacy, in order to increase awareness about the contribution that agriculture makes to our economy, community, families and health,” said Susan McAlevy, executive director of the Foundation.
A variety of applications were received after the program was launched in February and the Foundation made grants ranging from $7,200 to the Abbotsford Community Garden Society to enhance its “Ag in the Classroom” program, to $50,000 to the Bakerview EcoDairy to support its partnership with Science World to provide quality educational resources.
The 2012 Agricultural Enhancement grants include:
- $34,500 to the BC Chicken Growers Association for production of a Poultry in Motion video.
- $7,500 to the Fraser Valley Strawberry Growers Association for a web based media project to inform consumers and increase strawberry consumption by an estimated 10 per cent.
- $10,000 to the Raspberry Industry Development Council to develop a social media program to inform consumers about local raspberries.
- $12,000 to the Abbotsford Soil Conservation Association for Abbotsford Farm Fest Day will target the general public and be held on the weekend of the Abbotsford Berrybeat Festival.
- $10,000 to the MSA Pioneers and MSA Museum/MSA Pioneers Association for the cost of printing “A history of the Pioneer Farming Families of Abbotsford.”
- S7,200 to the Abbotsford Community Garden Society to build a series of raised beds, ensuring the Ag in the Classroom program can be offered each year.
- $50,000 to Bakerview EcoDairy for an education enhancement project partnering with Science World
- $25,000 to the Abbotsford Farm and Country Market to reposition and rebrand the event.
- $39,250 to the University of the Fraser Valley for the Pacific Berry Research Centre.
- $9,975 to the Abbotsford Agrifair for Ag at Agrifair which provides education on horticulture, floriculture,viticulture (wine-making) and apiculture (bee keeping) with five seminars, demonstrations or workshops.
- $7,350 to the BC 4-H Club to expand the Agri-Career Quest program to include an Agriculture Discovery Day in Abbotsford.