New clean technology program for agriculture industry
There’s a new funding program for agricultural producers in PEI looking to adopt clean technologies to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, optimize energy use on farms, and increase farm resilience by reducing energy costs.
The PEI Agriculture Energy Systems Pilot Program (PEIAgESP) is a $1.4 million provincial investment into the local agriculture industry. The program will support farmers by offsetting costs associated with energy use optimization, switching fuel sources and a variety of other activities to increase supplies of renewable energy for agriculture productions.
“Our government has made great strides in making life more affordable and environmentally friendly through a variety of residential energy programs, and we are very pleased to make this a reality for our agriculture industry now as well. I’m proud of department staff for launching this program and working towards our mandate of supporting green agriculture initiatives.”
- Deputy Premier and Agriculture Minister Bloyce Thompson
The program is a one-year pilot with the possibility of extension depending on uptake and success to be determined through internal evaluations.
Media contact:
Kip Ready
Senior Communications Officer
Department of Agriculture
kjready@gov.pe.ca
Backgrounder:
- PEI’s agriculture industry is a primary economic driver in the province, with most recent farm cash receipts valued at $740.7M in the year 2022.
- Despite continued economic leadership from the provincial agriculture industry, it has been significantly affected by increasing operating and input costs which impact profitability and resilience.
- As a result of these challenges and to further support the local agriculture industry through environmentally sustainable practices, the PEI Department of Agriculture received approval through the 2022/2023 Provincial Operating Budget to create the first ever Agriculture Climate Adaptation Section.
- Among a variety of other activities, this section will aid the Department of Agriculture in its mandate to support green farming initiatives and the local agriculture industry in leading our province towards climate targets.
- The new Agriculture Climate Adaptation Section will implement the PEIAgESP and continue to work with local, provincial and federal stakeholders to support PEI’s agriculture industry through beneficial climate initiatives.