The Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) program is a five-year, $240 million program aimed at positioning Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector at the leading edge to seize new opportunities. Funding for the ACAAF program is provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). For more information on the national program, please visit: http://www.agr.gc.ca/acaaf/.

Regionally, the Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan receives $3.7 million annually to deliver Saskatchewan’s ACAAF program. The ACAAFS program is delivered under three pillars: Pillar One is Industry-led Sollutions to Emerging Issues; Pillar Two is Capturing Market Opportunities by Advancing Research Results; and Pillar Three is Sharing Information to Advance the Sector.

ACAAFS supports innovative agriculture related projects that enable a sustainable, well-diversified economy for the benefit of the industry and for the people of Saskatchewan and Canada.

ACAAF was launched in April 2004 as the successor to the Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development (CARD) Program.

The ACAAFS Advisory Group of ACS evaluates projects and provides funding recommendations to the ACS Board of Directors. The eleven advisory group members include three ACS board members and members from both Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. They meet five times a year, evaluating project applications which request funding of more than $10,000.