Accelerating the adoption of climate-smart best practices in agriculture

OTTAWA, ON, March 18, 2021 /CNW/ - Farmers are on the front lines of worsening climate impacts, and face increasing risk of wildfires and extreme weather events, such as floods and droughts. The best way to build climate resiliency across Canadian agriculture's diversity of realities and landscapes is by developing and deploying solutions that are tailored for each region, led by farmers and farm groups themselves.

Today, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced an investment of $185 million over the next 10 years for the new Agricultural Climate Solutions (ACS) program.

The ACS program aims to establish a strong, Canada-wide network of regional collaborations led by farmers and including scientists and other sectoral stakeholders. Together, they will develop and share management practices that best store carbon and mitigate climate change. This work will also help protect biodiversity, improve water and soil quality, and strengthen farmers' bottom lines.

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.

The program will proceed in two phases. The first phase, which will launch April 1^st, aims to support the development of proposals focused on regional collaboration hubs, also known as "Living Labs", by offering grants of up to $100,000.

The aim is for every province in Canada to have at least one collaboration hub. Each hub will centre on farms, where farmers and researchers can co-develop best practices, including cover crops, intercropping, conversion of marginal land to permanent cover, shelterbelts, nutrient management, and inclusion of pulses in rotations. Applicants will need to demonstrate their ability to engage with researchers and develop plans for knowledge transfer and adoption among their peers. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will host regional information sessions over the coming weeks.

The program's second phase will open as early as Fall 2021. At this stage, applicant groups can submit their applications for funding support of up to $10 million per project.

The ACS program is one of many important new initiatives being undertaken to promote environmental sustainability and resiliency in the agriculture sector, and is part of Canada's Strengthened Climate Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, and towards net-zero emissions by 2050.

Quotes 

"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. With significant regional collaborations from coast-to-coast, Agricultural Climate Solutions puts farmers at the helm of steering Canadian agriculture towards a climate resilient future for the generations to come."
-       The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food 

"Canadian farmers are constantly innovating to make their practices more sustainable. That's why the Government of Canada is pleased to be working with farmers across the country to continue that work by identifying and implementing on farm management practices that engage the power of nature-based solutions to cut carbon pollution and support biodiversity. Through programs like the one announced today, which complements the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund, we will create a stronger future – one that achieves Canadians' environmental goals and economic hopes."
-       The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

"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."
-       Mary Robinson, President, Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Quick Facts

• The Agricultural Climate Solutions is based on an expanded model of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's "Living Labs" networks, already underway in Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Prince Edward Island. The Living Labs model has been endorsed by the G20 as a model of innovation and collaborative research.
• Eligible recipients within a collaboration may include not-for-profit organizations, such as producer organizations, and Indigenous groups.
• The Government of Canada is investing more than $4 billion over the next 10 years (2021-2031) to establish a Natural Climate Solutions Fund and supporting activities to build a more resilient economy and a healthier, greener future with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Natural Resources of Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada.
• ACS is part of Canada's$350-million investment over 10 years to help Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector meet our emission targets and capture new opportunities in the green economy.
• $185 million for ACS (today's announcement)
• $165.7 million increase in the Agricultural Clean Technology Program that supports research, development and adoption of clean technologies
• The ACS program complements Environment and Climate Change Canada's ten year $631 million Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund which will support projects to restore, enhance and conserve wetlands, peatlands, grasslands and forests to store and capture carbon and enable reporting. These ecosystems are also critically important habitat for Canada's wildlife including migratory birds and species at risk.

Additional Links 

• Natural Climate Solutions Fund
• Natural Resources Canada Growing Canada's Forests program
• Environment and Climate Change Canada funding programs
• Living Laboratories Initiative

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Backgrounder: Agricultural Climate Solutions

Agricultural Climate Solutions (ACS) is a $185 million, 10-year program that will help develop and implement farming practices to tackle climate change. Through agricultural practices such as shelterbelts or cover crops, farmland can trap and store carbon and reduce greenhouse gases.

ACS is a program under the more than $4 billion Natural Climate Solutions Fund. AAFC is partnering with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to develop projects that invest in natural climate solutions, including NRCan's Growing Canada's Forests program and ECCC's Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund.

Farmers contributing to reaching Canada's emissions targets

The agriculture sector, through ACS, is supporting the goals of Canada's Strengthened Climate Plan to improve nature and climate benefits by capturing carbon to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support nature's resilience, and improve Canadians' quality of life. The Government of Canada has set a clear ambition – exceeding the target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, and towards net-zero emissions by 2050.

ACS will develop regional collaboration hubs on farms, known as "Living Labs". Farmers and farm groups will be at the centre of decision making, innovation and on-farm activities at each hub. ACS includes transferring knowledge to other farmers so that they can deploy solutions that are tailored to their region and promote environmental sustainability and resiliency in the agriculture sector.

Collaborators will implement projects that also contribute to environmental co-benefits, such as:

Sequestering carbon and reducing greenhouse gases

Like Canada's forests, Canada's millions of acres of farmland have the potential to trap and store carbon and reduce greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. The initiative will contribute to meeting or exceeding Canada's current greenhouse gas reduction target of 30% (below 2005 levels) by 2030 and towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Conserving soil that is healthier and more resilient

Rich and healthy soil is the heartbeat of all farms. The use of cover crops and intercropping are just two of many ways that farmers can improve soil quality, trap and store more carbon, and reduce the negative environmental effects caused by soil erosion.

Finding ways to conserve clean water

From soil to streams, water is essential to healthy crops and populations. Farming practices can help conserve one of humankind's greatest resources and safeguard clean water for communities.

Protecting biodiversity for sustainable farms

Biodiversity is the variety of all life on Earth, from tiny organisms to plants, animals and humans. Protecting the diversity of life on farms can result in healthy fields with fewer pest problems. Plus, a larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops and diversified farm incomes.

Reducing effects of climate change to help all Canadians

Environmentally sustainable farms help to combat climate change, reconnect our rural and urban communities, and contribute to the well-being of all Canadians with healthy food and clean air and water.

Application process

Projects in each province will be selected based on the potential to store carbon and/or reduce greenhouse gases. To be eligible for the Agriculture Climate Solutions program, applicants must form a large network of partnerships within a province, including with agricultural non-profits, Indigenous organizations and environmental groups. Non-repayable funding available through ACS will be deployed in several phases starting in April 2021.

Phase 1: Grant funding applications (April 1 to June 15, 2021) – AAFC is accepting proposals for grants of up to $100,000 from eligible organizations to support them in developing a network of participants, based on the living labs model, to develop and submit comprehensive project proposals for contribution funding to establish an ACS project.

Phase 2: Contribution funding applications(Fall 2021) – Applications for funding support of up to $10 million per project and, if requested, research and development support from a team of government department scientists led by AAFC, is slated to open in Fall 2021. It is expected that approved projects will start in the spring 2022. The receipt of grant funding in Phase 1 will not be a requirement to apply for Phase 2 contribution funding and AAFC research and development support.

A second intake of grant applications and contribution funding applications for additional ACS projects will begin in spring 2022.

SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada