Canada to fund $182.7M to organizations that help farmers deal with climate change
by CM Staff
Activities supported through the fund are expected to reduce GHG emissions by up to 2 million tonnes by 2024.
OTTAWA — Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced that the federal government will provide funding of up to $182.7 million for 12 recipient organizations to deliver the On-Farm Climate Action Fund across Canada.
The recipient organizations include ALUS Canada, B.C. Investment Agriculture Foundation, Canadian Forage and Grassland Association, Canola Council of Canada, ECOCERT Canada, Manitoba Association of Watersheds, New Brunswick Soil and Crop Improvement Association, Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc., Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture, Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) and L’Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA.)
Direct support to farmers will focus on various areas such as cover cropping, nitrogen management, rotational grazing, water system infrastructure, and equipment modifications for fertilizer application in the fields.
Recipient organizations across the country will redistribute funding through individual application intakes. The fund will help address barriers to wider adoption, including up-front implementation costs, lack of risk protection, minimal or delayed returns on investment and limited availability of information and agronomic services.
Activities supported through the fund are expected to reduce GHG emissions by up to 2 million tonnes by 2024.
According to the government of Canada, the country’s agriculture sector currently accounts for 10 percent of Canada’s GHG emissions and has the potential to play a key role in reducing national GHG emissions and improving climate resiliency.
“We will continue to do what is necessary to protect our environment and provide farmers with the support needed to make their operations more sustainable for future generations. The On-Farm Climate Action Fund builds on the work already underway by our Government to lower greenhouse gas emissions and help improve long-term climate resiliency in the agriculture sector,” said Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food in a statement.
