Canada and Manitoba Celebrate Farm and Food Awareness Week With New Support for Local Agriculture

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Canada and Manitoba are celebrating Farm and Food Awareness Week from September 20 to 25, putting local agriculture, producers and food at the centre of community attention. This year, the theme Community and Agriculture: Growing Together highlights how farms, food businesses and communities remain connected. At the same time, the governments are backing local food awareness through $260,000 in funding for Great Tastes of Manitoba. Meanwhile, Manitoba is developing a five-year framework with EIT Food to explore research, innovation, start-up development and international market opportunities. Together, these initiatives show how agriculture can connect communities, strengthen food awareness and support long-term sector development.

Canada and Manitoba Put Local Food and Agriculture in Focus

The governments of Canada and Manitoba are marking the 12th annual Farm and Food Awareness Week from September 20 to 25, 2026, with a programme designed to help residents better understand how food moves from farms and producers to their tables.

The initiative also places greater attention on the people and communities supporting Manitoba’s agricultural economy, from primary producers to food workers, researchers and businesses.

Why is Farm and Food Awareness Week important for Manitoba?

Farm and Food Awareness Week provides an opportunity to connect consumers with Manitoba’s agricultural sector and explain the role producers play in supplying food. The 2026 theme, Community and Agriculture: Growing Together, focuses on the relationship between agriculture and the communities surrounding it.

During the week, Manitoba Agriculture will distribute videos, educational resources and information about partner activities through social media and other communication channels. Residents are also being encouraged to share photographs of local farms, food and agricultural experiences using #FarmFoodAwarenessWeek.

How is Manitoba supporting local food awareness?

A key part of the programme is a $260,000 investment through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, or Sustainable CAP. The funding will support seasons 37 and 38 of Great Tastes of Manitoba, a digital and broadcast series designed to connect Manitobans with food grown and produced within the province.

The initiative gives local food and agricultural producers additional visibility while helping consumers understand the origins of food available in their communities. It also reinforces the wider objective of encouraging awareness of Manitoba’s agricultural production and food system.

What activities are planned during the awareness week?

Several public-facing activities are scheduled during the week. On September 20, the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre will host Discover Agriculture on the Farm, a free family-friendly event featuring interactive exhibits and information about Manitoba agriculture.

Harvest Manitoba will also attend the event and collect non-perishable food items in support of local food security.

September 23 has additionally been proclaimed Local Food Day, in partnership with the Manitoba Association of Home Economists. The day will recognise Manitoba farmers, local ingredients and the role local food can play in supporting families and communities.

How will Manitoba work with EIT Food?

Beyond public awareness activities, Manitoba is strengthening its international agricultural and food innovation connections. The Manitoba government has formalised a five-year strategic framework with EIT Food, described in the announcement as Europe’s largest food innovation community.

The framework is intended to connect EIT Food’s European innovation ecosystem and international network with Manitoba’s capabilities in agri-food production, value-added processing, applied research and industry-academia collaboration.

Potential areas of co-operation include joint research, innovation, knowledge exchange, start-up development and international market access.

What does the Sustainable CAP investment mean?

The funding forms part of the broader Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year, $3.5-billion federal, provincial and territorial investment designed to strengthen Canada’s agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector.

The programme includes $1 billion in federal programmes and activities, alongside a further $2.5 billion commitment that is cost-shared between the federal government and provinces and territories.

For Manitoba, the combination of local food awareness, producer visibility, innovation and international collaboration provides several channels for supporting the agricultural sector.

What could this mean for Manitoba’s food and agriculture sector?

The announcements connect public education with longer-term sector development. Local events can help consumers better understand Manitoba’s food production, while support for Great Tastes of Manitoba can increase exposure for locally produced food.

At the same time, the EIT Food framework creates a platform for potential collaboration in research, entrepreneurship and market development. The initiatives therefore extend beyond a single awareness week and form part of broader efforts to strengthen connections between communities, producers, researchers and agri-food businesses.

The cause behind Farm and Food Awareness Week is the need to strengthen public understanding of agriculture and the people responsible for producing food. The answer is a coordinated programme combining community events, educational resources, local food promotion and sector partnerships. The reason is that stronger connections between consumers, producers, researchers and food businesses can improve awareness of Manitoba’s food system while supporting agricultural development. The $260,000 investment in Great Tastes of Manitoba adds a communications platform, while the EIT Food framework creates opportunities for international collaboration. Together, these measures connect public awareness with longer-term agricultural innovation and competitiveness.

Canada and Manitoba’s 2026 Farm and Food Awareness Week places local producers, food and communities at the centre of a broader agricultural awareness programme. From September 20 to 25, Manitobans can participate in activities designed to demonstrate where food comes from and recognise the contribution of farmers and food workers.

The $260,000 Sustainable CAP investment supporting Great Tastes of Manitoba adds a dedicated platform for showcasing locally produced food. Meanwhile, Discover Agriculture on the Farm and Local Food Day provide opportunities for families and communities to engage directly with Manitoba’s agricultural story.

The five-year framework with EIT Food adds an international dimension, potentially supporting research, innovation, start-ups and market access. As a result, the announcements combine public education with longer-term sector collaboration. The focus remains firmly on strengthening connections between Manitoba’s agricultural producers, communities, food businesses, researchers and international partners.