Farm & Food Care Ontario (FFCO) has signed a three-year funding agreement with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA). Through this agreement, up to $597,000 will be invested in FFCO’s outreach initiatives over the next three years. This funding will enhance FFCO’s ability to expand its programming and connect with a broader audience across Ontario and beyond.


 The funding will support six of the organization’s priority activities, all of which aim to grow public trust and consumer confidence in Ontario’s farming and food systems.


 • Large-scale consumer outreach events, including Breakfast on/from the Farm, which provide a space for agriculture to connect with the public in meaningful ways and allow non-farming Ontarians to explore modern Ontario agriculture and meet farmers each year; 

• Food industry outreach, including day-long farm and food processing tours for culinary students, chefs and other food industry professionals, as well as webinars and other relationship-building activities between Ontario agriculture and the food industry; 

• More than a Migrant Worker, an award-winning initiative, completed in partnership with the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association, that showcases the critical work done by seasonal agricultural workers in Ontario through interviews, photography, and video storytelling; 

• A library of agricultural resources developed for those promoting agricultural awareness through events, fall fairs, and other community agricultural programming. This library includes the rentable FarmFood360 virtual reality kiosk that provides farm and food processing VR tours and other displays and signage. 

• Free, up-to-date farm photo and digital asset library available to industry and media to accurately represent Ontario agriculture, as well as digital resources to promote Local Food Week and Ontario Agriculture Week;

• Training for farmers and agri-business professionals on how to effectively communicate with non-farming Ontarians; 

As a registered Canadian charity, FFCO is funded primarily by farmers, farm organizations, agribusinesses, and others through memberships and program partnerships. This funding enables the organization’s projects to have a significantly larger cross-sector impact and will support the above six activities until 2028.

 

Source: Farm & Food Care Ontario June 5, 2025 news release