Andrew McClelland
The Advocate
The Canadian and Quebec governments have announced $35.3 million in funding to support agricultural producers who adopt more sustainable farming practices.
“By choosing to support our farm businesses with flexible assistance that is tailored to their reality, we are ensuring their long-term engagement,” said Quebec Minister of Agriculture André Lamontagne at a press conference at Edriphaniel dairy farm in Lotbinière on Feb. 17. “This is a key action on your government’s part to sustain our collective food supply.”
Partly funded through the federal Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the investment ushers in the fourth enrolment period of the Rétribution agroenvironnementale (Rewarding of Agri-Environmental Practices), an initiative set up to “recognize the efforts made by farm businesses to improve their practices and generate significant environmental gains,” according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
Up to 1,200 new farm businesses will be eligible for support under the new funding instalment. The total direct aid to businesses, part of the flagship measure of the Sustainable Agriculture Plan 2020-2030, will reach $122 million.
Producers are invited to submit projects that will increase the sustainability and environmental-friendliness of their farming practices. Plans most likely to improve off-season soil protection, reduction of herbicide use, improved fertilizer management, crop diversification and the implementation of biodiversity-friendly landscaping will be favoured.
The initiative — and the entire Sustainable Agriculture Plan — is part of the federal, provincial and territorial governments’ goal to reduce agriculture’s effects on climate change, specifically within the next decade.
“Farmers are often the first to feel the effects of climate change, and despite this challenge, they work tirelessly to feed Canada and the world,” said federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay.
“This funding is another example of our ongoing partnership with the provinces and territories to help our hardworking farmers make their practices more sustainable, while improving the performance and resilience of their businesses.”
Since the Rétribution agroenvironnementale started in Quebec in 2022, around 3,200 farm businesses have adopted more sustainable practices on almost 520,000 hectares of land. That represents 40 per cent of the province’s annual crop area.
Businesses submitting projects will be asked to take their soil protection practices out of season further by using root crops and cutting back on mineral nitrogen fertilizer use.
Projects must take place over the next two growing seasons (2025 and 2026). Each farm business could be eligible for $50,000 in funding.
Once again with funding of this type, Quebec is asking farm business managers to act fast. The enrolment period began March 5 and lasts until March 31 or until funds are exhausted.
Visit https://www.fadq.qc.ca/initiative-ministerielle-retribution-agroenvironnementale/description to read more about the initiative, and click on “ADMISSIBILITÉ” in the left-hand column to see if your farm is eligible.