Ottawa-The government will provide $30 million to support 235 approved community food security projects, Agriculture Minister Heth MacDonald has announced.

The funding from the Local Food Infrastructure Fund (LFIF) program is intended to help improve community food security by supporting infrastructure that increases access to local, nutritious and culturally appropriate food.

MacDonald said “Domestic food production is central to food security. By investing in local food infrastructure, we're helping communities build more resilient systems and provide more nutritious food to Canadians who need it most.”

In his announcement to the Community Food Sharing Association (CFSA) meeting in St. John's, Nfld., he said that communities across Canada continue to face increasing challenges to food security.

By investing in local food production, communities are empowered to take charge of their food systems, supporting reliable access to nutritious sustenance.

Under the LFIF Large Scale Projects component, up to 58 projects are approved for a total amount of $17.5 million. This component provides funding between $150,000 and $500,000 to support projects with multiple infrastructure/equipment needs and partnerships to address community food security in a more comprehensive manner.

Under the LFIF Small Scale Projects component, up to 177 projects are approved for a total amount of $12.5 million. This component provides grant funding between $25,000 and $100,000 to support infrastructure projects, such as a community garden with an irrigation system, a greenhouse with solar panels or a food forest.

In January, the government announced an additional $20 million to support food banks and other national, regional, and local organizations to deliver more nutritious food to families in need. Details on program parameters and intake dates will be made available soon.

The Local Food Infrastructure Fund (LFIF) supports projects that strengthen community food security and increase the availability and accessibility of local, nutritious and culturally appropriate food through food production-focused activities for equity-deserving groups, particularly Indigenous and Black communities.

The CFSA is receiving up to $46,107 under the Small Scale Projects component to purchase a greenhouse, seeds, soil, compost, compost tumbler, and root cellar to increase food production for food banks and local shelters.

To date, the LFIF has committed up to $101 million to fund 1,425 approved projects to improve food security across Canada, such as community gardens and kitchens, refrigerated trucks and storage units for donated food, greenhouses in remote and Northern communities and more.

Last March, the government announced up to $5.6 million to support 87 projects under the first intake of the LFIF Small Scale Projects component.

Agriculture and Canada is also delivering the $20.2-million School Food Infrastructure Fund (SFIF), which supports not-for-profit organizations to improve infrastructure and equipment for school food programming across Canada.

Budget 2025 announced that the federal government is making the National School Food Program permanent, providing school meals for up to 400,000 children each year, saving participating families with two children in school an estimated $800 annually on groceries.

This news report prepared for National Newswatch