A coalition of companies convened by Farm Credit Canada (FCC) will invest $5 billion into agriculture and food innovation by 2030.
“We’re the breadbasket of the world,” said Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Heath MacDonald MacDonald. “We need to lead in that aspect … and this is just a start.”
Macdonald announced the investment at Canada’s Future of Food day in Ottawa. The announcement builds on a previous commitment of $2 billion from FCC.
WHY IT MATTERS: Canadian agriculture and food businesses have historically struggled with a lack of venture capital.
FCC is set to deploy $325 million in new capital this fiscal year, the lender said in a news release. It said the cash will “bring new innovation to Canadian farmers through investments in innovative Canadian businesses, construction and project finance opportunities, and early-stage ag-tech companies.”
Darren Bacchus, executive vice-president of Agri‑Food, Alliances and FCC Capital, said the investment will strengthen domestic food security and accelerate Canada’s rise as an agricultural superpower.
“By bringing this coalition together, we’re crowding in the capital needed to scale breakthrough solutions and deliver the next generation of innovation directly to Canadian producers.”
A ‘compelling investment proposition’
MacDonald credited Justine Hendricks, president and CEO of FCC, for beginning the process that would lead to this investment.
“The first time I met Justine was in Saskatchewan. I then, shortly after in July, flew to Toronto and she set me up on the meeting with seven investors,” MacDonald said.
“I believe two of them were U.S., five were Canadian venture capital (and) equity firms, and that started the discussion.”
Power Sustainable Lios, a food-focused private equity firm, is one of the 20 companies to pledge investment.
”Canada’s food sector represents a compelling investment proposition,” said Jonathan Belair, the firm’s managing partner, in a news release.
Canadian food and agriculture benefits from strong fundamentals like a “globally respected production base and a growing pool of innovative companies, the news release said.
Struggle for venture capital
In early 2025 FCC’s investment arm, FCC Capital, pledged $2 billion of investments into agtech innovation by 2030. Hendricks at the time said investment dollars for the agtech sector have been “scarce and not scaled to meet the increasingly sophisticated needs of the sector.”
Canadian agriculture and food companies have historically struggled with a lack of venture capital.
Source - https://www.grainews.ca
