AgriRisk Initiatives: Administrative Capacity Building Stream: Step 1. What this program offers

Step 1. What this program offers

The AgriRisk Initiatives (ARI) is a five-year program under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership that supports the development of new risk management tools. It is divided into three program components:

• ARI Research and Development (R&D) stream – contribution funding
• ARI Microgrants – grant funding
• ARI Administrative Capacity Building (ACB) stream

Total ARI program funding is approximately $55 million over five years, with the program ending March 31, 2023.

AgriRisk Initiatives: Administrative Capacity Building Stream

The ARI ACB stream provides funding to implement and test new financial tools which allow producers to manage a defined business risk.

Example of issues that new tools can address are, but not limited to:

• responding to diseases in livestock and crops
• protecting producers from severe market price fluctuations
• protecting against loss from contracts in new markets

Eligible activities include:

• administration for delivering a risk management tool (such as office space, material, IT systems)
• establishment and adaptation of organizational structure for delivery of the new tool
• updating actuarial, financial or technical data
• communications, advertising and marketing
• development of work processes, policy wordings and product options
• seed funding – the creation of a capital reserve fund for an insurance fund or similar fund (support for seed funding will be conditionally repayable)

Projects under ARI ACB should also:

• include financial support from the applicant
• demonstrate appropriate stakeholder involvement and support
• focus on defined risks
• address major risks beyond those considered normal business or on-farm risks (normal risks are considered those that have a high probability of occurrence)