British Columbia’s new workforce initiative will help to support its food and agriculture industry by recruiting and retaining the workers according to a release. These workers will help to stabilize the food supply for B.C. and worldwide.
“The demand for B.C. food and beverage products continues to grow, and we need to address labour challenges now, so we can continue to rely on B.C.’s agriculture and food sector in the future,” said Pam Alexis, Minister of Agriculture and Food. “Our government is working hard to increase the number of B.C. agriculture workers so we will have a safe and resilient local food supply for generations to come.”
To help the workforce, the Agriculture and Food Workforce Development Initiative will supply up to $15 million.
“We all want people to have access to nutritious, healthy food,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “That’s why we’ve partnered with Investment Agriculture Foundation to fund the support people need to find and keep good stable jobs in the high-demand food and agriculture sector.”
This money will be put towards improving retention and increasing recruitment of domestic workers with training to develop a skilled workforce. Workforce plans and strategies will also be in place. The health and well-being of the agriculture and food industry workers will also be supported through this initiative.
“AgSafe has made the mental health and well-being of B.C.’s producers a top priority and we are thankful for the support of our partners,” said Wendy Bennett, executive director, AgSafe BC. “We know that the agriculture industry is experiencing a mental health crisis — compounded by floods, wildfires, heat domes and drought. With this funding, we will be able to expand our mental wellness initiative to develop and deliver more much-needed resources and tools that are specific to agriculture.”
AgSafe is the first organization that the program is supporting. It will receive $755,000 towards the expansion of mental-health services to the agriculture sector in B.C. AgSafe has a mental wellness in agriculture initiative with the goal of encouraging the agricultural workforce to reach out for help. The initiative also offers mental health resources to the agricultural community.
“The ongoing labour shortage in the agriculture sector will be detrimental to the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and ranchers in our province if we don’t act now,” said David Mutz, berry farmer, BC Agriculture Council director, and chair of BC Agriculture Council’s labour committee. “In fact, just half a decade ago, we faced a shortage of just over 3,000 agriculture workers, but by the end of this decade, the number of unfilled jobs is expected to increase dramatically, nearly five-fold, to over 15,000 missing workers in the agriculture sector. BC Agriculture Council welcomes this initiative as a strategic contribution to shifting our agriculture workforce in the direction of meeting the market demand for workers and ensuring food security for British Columbians.”
The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction is funding the Agriculture and Food Workforce Development Initiative and the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC is delivering it.
“Supporting producers and processors is supporting skills and training, and health and well-being of those producers and processors across generations,” said Jack DeWit, chair, Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC (IAF). “IAF looks forward to delivering this funding, working with the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food to further refine and implement the programs to support the goal of improving labour resources in B.C.’s agriculture sector.”
Find more information about the program here.
AgSafe’s mental health wellness resources can be found here.
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