British Columbia farmers’ markets benefit from Buy Local funding
Staff Writer |
Farmers’ markets all over the province are enticing British Columbians with locally grown and produced products, fresh from their own backyards.
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The B.C. government’s Buy Local program is providing six local farmers’ markets with a combined total of $57,055 in funding.
The Buy Local program is helping agrifood companies promote their products through buy local initiatives.
The Coquitlam Farmers’ Market Society is receiving up to $7,830 in funding to advertise through a social media campaign, creating promotional materials and updating the organization’s website to bring more visitors to their year round markets.
Farmers’ markets play an increasingly important role in the economic impact of a community and increasing the sales revenues of B.C. producers.
With the goals of reconnecting local producers with suburban consumers, and citizens with each other, the Coquitlam Farmers’ Market Society operates one of Metro Vancouver’s longest running suburban farmers’ markets.
The Buy Local program has provided $356,565 in funding to farmers’ markets all over the province since 2012 to support food security in B.C. and help local businesses grow and thrive in the competitive agrifood industry. Farmers’ markets allow British Columbians to support B.C.’s farmers and eat local all year.
The B.C. government has committed $14 million to the Buy Local Program since 2012, including $6 million over the next three years announced in Balanced Budget 2017.
Approximately 200 B.C. agrifood and seafood companies have expanded their reach and sales in communities throughout B.C. since the program began, with the $8 million of funding accessed to date resulting in $29 million in investments through matching funds.
The B.C. government's Agrifood and Seafood Strategic Growth Plan supports the building of domestic markets and maintaining a secure food supply.
The plan is a component of the BC Jobs Plan, and the roadmap to leading the agrifoods sector to becoming a $15-billion-a-year industry by 2020. ■