By Alice McFarlane

Accelerating the adoption of climate-smart best practices in agriculture

Mar 18, 2021 | 5:00 PM

MELFORT, SASK.–Researchers will be working directly with farmers to identify and implement on-farm management practices that will cut carbon pollution and support biodiversity.

The new Agricultural Climate Solutions (ACS) program will receive $185 million over the next 10 years from the federal government.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said the goal is to create a Canada-wide network of regional collaborations led by farmers and includes scientists. They will develop and share management practices that best store carbon to improve water and soil quality.

“Our government is working in partnership with farmers to develop and deploy the best practices that will fight climate change, protect our lands and waters, and deliver important economic benefits to farmers,” Bibeau said.

The first phase, which launches Apr. 1, will support the development of proposals focused on regional collaboration hubs or “Living Labs” by offering grants of up to $100,000.

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The goal is for every province to have at least one collaboration hub. Each hub will centre on farms, where farmers and researchers can co-develop best practices which could include cover crops, intercropping, conversion of marginal land to permanent cover, shelterbelts, nutrient management, and crop rotations including pulses.

Later this fall, the program’s second phase will receive applications for funding support of up to $10 million per project.

Canadian Federation of Agriculture President Mary Robinson said research will be conducted collaboratively.

“This program allows researchers, farmers, and other groups to work closely together and test their ideas on farm to evaluate them in real-world circumstances to achieve meaningful results,” Robinson said.

Francois Chretien is the associate director with the Living Laboratories Initiative at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. He said while the focus is on innovation, past research will not be ignored.

“It doesn’t mean that best knowledge or no till is not being taken into consideration,” Chretien said. “All of that is well known both by the producer and our scientists. It’s certainly being considered for the next iteration of best management practices that we will deploy.”

To be eligible for the ACS program, applicants must form a large network of partnerships within a province, including with agricultural non-profits, Indigenous organizations, and environmental groups.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will host regional information sessions over the coming weeks.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW