Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
last mo.

Nova Scotia Commits $7M Funding as Farms Reel from $41M Losses

Critics argue that $7 million in equipment grants fails to halt the nearly 30 percent loss of farmland documented over the past decade.

A farmer works a field in Churchville, N.S. on Monday, May 9, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Overview

  • A new Ecology Action Centre report reveals the province’s farming sector has recorded deficits since 2017, culminating in over $41 million in losses in 2024.
  • Farmland area in Nova Scotia dropped by 29 percent between 2011 and 2021, underscoring concerns over the industry’s long-term sustainability.
  • Local food spending remained stuck at 14 percent in 2023, unchanged from a decade ago despite more than 40 farmers markets province-wide.
  • The provincial package includes $7 million for farm equipment upgrades, season-extending programs and efforts to ease interprovincial trade barriers.
  • Interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette says the measures fall short of the expanded buy-local initiatives needed to reverse declining farm viability.