Our Great Lakes

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) provides information, research and technology, and policies and programs to achieve security of the food system, health of the environment and innovation for growth. AAFC recognizes the importance of safe and sustainable agricultural practices to the health of the Great Lakes.

Maintaining the most efficient use of land to produce food while minimizing the harmful effects of human impact is a considerable challenge. AAFC has worked with farmers and food processors to address the challenges of agricultural stewardship through a variety of initiatives.

Research

AAFC research centres exist across Ontario, specializing in a wide range of sustainability issues, including integrated pest management, crop productivity, and soil-water-air quality.

The centres and their areas of expertise are as follows:

• Harrow (Greenhouse and Processing Crops Research Centre)
• London (Southern Crop Protection and Food Research Centre) with facilities in Delhi and Vineland
• Ottawa (Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre)
• Guelph (Food Research Program)

Soil, crop and water management research focuses on agricultural practices that both enhance field crop production and maintain soil and environmental quality. Conservation tillage, water table management, crop rotation, weed and herbicide management, cover crops and soil amendments, including compost and other biosolids are being investigated. They are all potential ways to reduce nitrate and pesticide leaching losses, improve soil structure, increase organic matter content, enhance soil hydraulic properties, and increase overall profitability of field crop production.

AAFC is currently conducting research on several aspects of manure treatment and field application to help characterize and minimize the risk associated with land application of liquid swine manure. Field and laboratory research activities are helping to characterize the environmental behaviour and impacts of a variety of contaminants including nitrate, pathogens, antibiotics, and natural endocrine disrupting compounds.

AAFC conducts this research in cooperation with industry groups, the federal Toxic Substances Research Initiative, international and national research organizations including Environment Canada, and in close consultation with federal stakeholders. These partnerships maximize the value of our work, timely tech transfer to industry, and science information transfer to authorities for formulation of policy and regulation.

Agricultural Adaptation Council

The Agricultural Adaptation Council is a coalition of 52 agricultural, agri-food and rural organizations. It was incorporated in 1996 to administer Ontario's share of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development Fund (CARD), which stands at around $7 million per year.

The Council invests in innovative projects that enhance the economic health of the Ontario agricultural and agri-food sector, and therefore of rural communities in general.

CARD focuses on six adaptation policy priorities: research and innovation, human resources, environmental sustainability, food safety and quality, marketing and rural development.

The Council, working with the Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition, administers the following programs:

National Soil and Water Conservation Program
Between 1997-2000, $2.5 million was spent to support almost 40 National Soil and Water Conservation Program projects across Ontario. The total value of these projects was over $7 million. These funds supported environmental sustainability initiatives in the following priority areas: nutrient management planning; soil erosion prevention and soil management; food processing; on-farm environmental management; water quality and quantity; endangered species; public awareness of the many environmental initiatives of Ontario farmers.

Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Initiatives
The AESI is a three-year initiative, established in 2000, to build on the success of the National Soil and Water Conservation Program. Its mandate is to help address the impact of agricultural practices on water, soil and air quality, and biodiversity and wildlife habitat, through the support of innovative educational initiatives. Ontario's allocation is $2.475 million.

Environmental Farm Plan
AAFC has been a major contributor to the Environmental Farm Plan Program since farmers, through their Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition, initiated the program in 1993. Environmental farm planning continues to be a key tool to enhance farmer awareness, understanding and action in addressing farm environmental issues. Between 1993 and 2000, farmers representing approximately 50% of the agricultural land in Ontario have participated in the Environmental Farm Plan program. A total of $11 million of incentive grants have been allocated to 8 600 projects. For every Government of Canada dollar put into the program, growers have contributed an additional $3 of out-of-pocket costs by implementing environmentally sustainable farming practices.

The Environment Bureau

The Environment Bureau is the policy branch of AAFC, and specializes in issues relating to environmental trends in agriculture. Biodiversity, climate change, soil and water quality and ozone depletion are all key areas of study by the bureau.

For more information on Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and its programs, please visit www.agr.ca

Also of interest: