Agriculture, Fisheries and AquaculturePEI Sustainable Resource Policy The Sustainable Resource Policy - What is it? The Sustainable Resource Policy was announced in the Government of PEI Throne Speech, November 2002. The following video clip [2:53], 56k | cable/dsl recognizes the accomplishments and contributions of Island farmers towards safeguarding the Island's land and water resources. Using RealVideo, you can not only listen to, but also watch video features on our site in "real time". As with RealAudio, there's no need to wait for a large file to download -- watching RealVideo is just like watching television. To watch RealVideo content, you'll need to download the free Real Player software. The Sustainable Resource Policy is:
Balancing how we use and protect our resources today and for the future...
Sustainable Resource Policy - Why do we need it?
Goals - How will we measure success?
Action - How will it work?
Results - What will the outcomes be?
Actions Underway
Feedback
More Information Sustainability can be defined many ways. Broadly, it means protecting our resources so that we can meet our current needs and those of our children and grandchildren. It is very much like a savings plan for future generations. Sustainability will require that we plan for the needs of our environment, economy and communities all at the same time. The key questions are:
Where the three concerns overlap, we have sustainability. This is where we know we have balanced the three areas of need. The environment, our economy and our social needs all depend on one another -taking care of any one at the expense of the others is not sustainable. Islanders working together can help to build and maintain a balance and build a better future. Sustainable Resource Policy - Why do we need it?Government believes that all Islanders can work together to achieve a cleaner environment, a vibrant economy and strong, attractive communities. How will the Sustainable Resource Policy help us to achieve this? Over the past decade, we are all more aware the impact forestry and farming are having on our environment. Recent public opinion surveys (PEI Department of Agriculture and Forestry) show that Islanders are concerned about their environment - about soil erosion, pesticide use, manure use, contaminants in water and forestry clear cutting. At heart we are all concerned about the safety and quality of the environment we live in and depend on. Events like fish kills, unsafe drinking water, clear cutting of forestlands, and loss of farmland deepen our concern. We all want to live in a province with clean water, clean air, productive land and a natural environment. The Sustainable Resource Policy is an overall umbrella. It provides one broad direction that brings together all the pieces needed to manage our resources. Farming exists in every corner of our Island. It is our lead economic sector and affects everyone. If you don't live near a farm, you share water sources and depend on farms for your food. As the policy is put into action, farming will be the focus. Neighbours working togetherRight now, about 10% of Islanders live on farms. The rest of us live in towns or in rural communities close to or next to farming operations. Farmers and farm business must pay attention to the interests and concerns of their neighbors. The environmental farm planning initiative is a fine example of how they are doing this. PEI's economy depends on farming to a large degree. When farms suffer economically, so do many of their communities and neighbors. Sustainable farming practices will ensure our environment is protected, and that our economy continues to thrive. This is a benefit to us all. Achieving a balanceIn a perfect world, all of us would live in harmony with the environment - sorting our garbage, being mindful of water use. Litter would not exist, we'd use fewer gas powered machines, and we'd create less garbage... This isn't how life works! We all balance our wish to be environmentally responsible with our need to make a living and enjoy life. The same is true for those in the business of farming - they must balance their environmental responsibility, with the responsibility to grow good food and to make their business successful. How can the two work together? How can a farm business survive economically and meet its desire to be environmentally responsible? OptionsOne option is the "stick" approach, using legislation to make people do things a certain way to protect the environment. This is costly in many ways and doesn't create new value from taking care of the environment. Increasing the burden on farm operations while diminishing their ability to do business is not sustainable. The ideal is to balance legislation with market incentives. The ability to create new value will help farm businesses meet their environmental targets while safeguarding their ability to do business. This is the basis for one new initiative, the FoodTrust of Prince Edward Island. Goals - How will we measure success?The Sustainable Resource Policy is broad, and it includes all Islanders. What will the results be of undertaking this work? How will we know we are making progress? The Policy has six goals that are measurable. Over time the Sustainable Resource Policy will:
There are a variety of tools we will use to implement the Sustainable Resource Policy, including existing programs and new ones... Tools for ImplementationThe Sustainable Resource Policy will use a number of "tools" to achieve its six goals. Some of these tools are in the form of existing programs while others are quite new and innovative. To learn more, follow the steps of the pyramid from the bottom to the top: ....Cross Compliance.... ......Programs & Legislation...... ......Enhanced Environmental Farm Plan...... ................Resource Land Registration................ PEI Select Farm Achieving the designation of Select Status represents the "pinnacle measure of success" for the Sustainable Resource Policy (SRP).
The overall objective of the SRP is to improve the environmental quality of Prince Edward Island's land and water resources through sustainable practices. How will this be achieved? We can answer this question by reviewing the goals of the policy in order to identify the benchmarks that the SRP has set out.
Government currently has a number of programs available to help farmers with a variety of development and insurance needs. Government will work to make sure funds are fairly allocated, and that we reduce the need for legislation. We will encourage compliance with the Sustainable Resource Policy objectives through a few key steps:
Katherine Clough
Some of the legislation required to make the Sustainable Resource Policy work is already in place. Programs are available to ensure that land owners and managers are able to support the policy with real action:
These existing legislation and programs are not enough. More programs are under development, and include:
Robert Morrison
Farm operations will each register an an enhanced Environmental Farm Plan. This will allow each farm operation to:
Each farm will be required to register an Enhanced Environmental Farm Plan to qualify for government programs and will include a timetable for action. For more information, please contact:
Teresa M. Mellish
A Resource Land Registration process will help all of us know what resources exist in PEI, and how they are being managed. This Registration will enable land managers and owners to demonstrate their management practices, and plan for resource protection. What information will be gathered?
Brian W. Douglas
For the Sustainable Resource Policy to be effective will take a lot of work. What will the reward be for all of us to work toward a sustainable future? For farming, the reward will be...
Doing nothing will create or increase risk in key areas:
There are a number of programs and activities already underway now, all working toward a sustainable future. These include:
Do you have comments on the information you have seen here, or on issues of sustainablity? We would like to hear from you. How are you participating in the sustainable future of PEI? Questions to ask yourself:
Wayne MacKinnon
More InformationAre you interested in some particular aspect of sustainability on PEI? There are a number of documents available on-line or by request... For general information on the Sustainable Resource Policy, please contact:
Wayne MacKinnon
ACRA Contact Information For additional information on the Agricultural Crop Rotation Act or your Crop Management Plan... (Agriculture and Forestry Information Centre) Agricultural Crop Rotation Act Explanation of ACRA, regulations, crop management application form and more. (Agriculture and Forestry Information Centre) | ||||||
