The Canadian Foundation for Food and Agricultural Education (CFFAE) was established in 1987 under the name the Agricultural Institute of Canada Foundation. It changed its legal name in 2017 to better position itself to create strategic partnerships for the development of new scholarship opportunities for Canadian university and college students majoring in agriculture and food. To that end it has established a formal working relationship with the Association of Canadian Faculties of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine with whom it will consult and share ideas on scholarship programs supporting experiential learning, international study, sustainable agriculture, and entrance scholarships.
Over the course of its history the CFFAE has led a dynamic series of programs, including initiatives in advancing agricultural knowledge and providing scholarships in agricultural disciplines. Please visit our Programs page to read more about our scholarship programs and to download application forms.
The Foundation is a registered charity (federal registration number 12193 4947 RR0001) and all donations are tax creditable.
Our Mission
To inspire knowledge and understanding of the importance of sustainable agriculture to society.
Our Purposes
To advance education by developing and supporting education programs in the agricultural sciences for Canada’s agricultural community and the general public;
To advance education by developing and supporting scholarship programs to foster continued interest in the study of agricultural sciences by university students;
To promote excellence and efficiency in the Canadian agriculture and food sectors by supporting research on matters of importance to the agricultural community and the general public.
Our Achievements
The Foundation managed the Klinck Lecture, established by the Agricultural Institute of Canada in 1966 and named after Dr. Leonard S. Klinck, first president of AIC’s predecessor, The Canadian Society of Technical Agriculturalists. Under the program, prominent experts on national and international agricultural issues were sponsored on speaking tours across the country. The final lecture was held in 2007.
The Foundation also managed the Blackburn Extension Fund Speakers Program through a legacy left by the Canadian Society of Extension. The Fund supported travel expenses of speakers for national and regional events on topics related to the principles of agricultural extension education and development. The final sponsorships were made in 2012.
In addition to its own direct work, the CFFAE has provided support to other organizations. This has included financial support for publishing the booklet, Food for Thought, by the Ontario Farm Animal Council; the Agriculture in the Classroom program; the Advanced Agricultural Farm Leadership program and the former Agrologist-in-Residence program at a Canadian university.
In 2003, the Foundation was instrumental in raising funds for the Hay West program, which helped raise $10,000 to pay the cost of shipping donated hay to the western provinces in response to a severe drought.
Under its original name AICF, the Foundation sponsored two major conferences:
Agricultural Nutrients and Their Impact on Rural Water Quality; and
From the Farm Gate to the Dinner Plate, a conference on food safety issues.