A solar greenhouse to grow local food security, support for a long-running farm women's conference, and workshops to promote agritourism are just a few of the 43 projects throughout rural Alberta set to receive grant funding from the province this year.
The Small Community Opportunity Program was established in the 2023 provincial budget and is disbursing $3.2 million in grant funding to projects in Indigenous and small communities that help develop local economies. Individual project grants range from $20,000 to $100,000.
"The fact is when these communities succeed, all of Alberta is made stronger," Agriculture and Irrigation Minister RJ Sigurdson said. The grant program is designed to align with Alberta's rural economic development plan, and each project addresses entrepreneurship and mentoring, skills development, small business supports, or interconnectivity and collaboration.
The Town of Athabasca is among the first cohort of grant recipients in the program and will receive $90,000 to assess the feasibility of a solar greenhouse business for food production. Athabasca Mayor Robert Balay said the greenhouse is a bit of a pilot project to create more food security in the region, and one that will look at making private ventures for building greenhouses as economical and energy efficient as possible.
Read more at townandcountrytoday.com