Farmers care deeply about the land and have been leaders when it comes to taking action to protect the environment and strengthen the competitiveness of our agricultural businesses and economy. Today, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced the expansion of the On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF), which will provide an additional $300 million to 13 organizations in continuation of their efforts to help farmers become more climate resilient over the next 3 years.
The 13 organizations are: B.C. Investment Agriculture Foundation, Canadian Forage and Grassland Association, ECOCERT Canada, Manitoba Association of Watersheds, Manitoba Métis Federation, Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture, 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), Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds and L'Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA). For additional project details, please visit the OFCAF page.
By lowering implementation costs for adopting on-farm practices, facilitating the availability of information and agronomic services, and enabling knowledge transfer to producers and agronomists through outreach and training, OFCAF helps remove obstacles to the broader adoption of beneficial management practices. Direct support to farmers falls under these target areas:
- Cover Cropping: activities such as fall- or spring-planted cover crops (intercropping), and full-season annual or perennial cover crops in a rotation. Planting cover crops, like clover and alfalfa, cover the soil rather than being harvested, in turn adding nutrients that build organic matter, increase water access and, reduce soil erosion.
- Nitrogen Management: activities like optimizing nitrogen use by increasing legumes in rotations, and using manure and other fertilizer substitutes can provide lasting benefits to soil, air and water quality.
- Rotational Grazing: practices include new fencing and watering systems, and activities to implement low methane pastures. Rotational grazing is the practice of containing and moving livestock through pasture to allow forage plants to recover, deepen their root systems and improve soil health.
Organizations will redistribute funding through individual application intakes. Farmers across Canada are encouraged to use the On-Farm Climate Action Fund Web Tool for Farmers to determine which organization best serves their geographic area and needs.
