Canadian Farm Business Advisory Services

Planning and Assessment for Value-Added Enterprises (PAVE)

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada recognizes the important role planning plays in improving your chances for a successful launch or expansion of a value-added enterprise. Planning and Assessment for Value-Added Enterprises allows you to assess the opportunities and risks involved in your specific activity before investing significant funds.

This program helps you cover the cost of hiring a business planning professional who will help you develop a feasibility assessment and/or business plan related to your value-added business opportunity.

An eligible value-added project under Planning and Assessment for Value-Added Enterprises is one that can clearly demonstrate it adds value to a primary agriculture product produced in Canada. This includes agricultural product manufacturing, food processing activities, and non-food-processing activities. Activities related to an agricultural value-added enterprise can take place on or off the farm.

Activities could include:

• Separating, grading, cleaning or packaging produce
• Making jam from berries, converting milk into cheese to sell in roadside stores, adding a canning or pickling operation to a farm business
• Processing non-food items such as making fibreboard from hemp or straw

If you are eligible for funding, you may receive up to 50 per cent of the consultant's eligible costs for preparing the feasibility assessment and/or business plan. You may be eligible for the following over the life of the program:

• up to $10,000 for an individual applicant;
• up to $20,000 for two participants;
• and up to $25,000 for three or more participants.

Once you have completed your planning under Planning and Assessment for Value-Added Enterprises, you may wish to undertake a follow-up plan to assist you in keeping track with your plan by reviewing goals and assumptions, and by developing new strategies where necessary.

How to Apply >>