Farmers in Metro Vancouver and Abbotsford can apply for funding to implement practices that create benefits for food production and the environment.
The $1.5 million worth of funding will support select stewardship programs, which are offered by the Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust (DFWT), to improve soil health, sequester carbon, support biodiversity and enhance ecosystems.
The programs offered by the DFWT promote the sustainable use of agricultural land through various practices, including cover crops after the summer harvest to improve soil quality and prevent winter erosion; pollinator-friendly flowering plants and grasses in targeted areas to support biodiversity and improve important food crop pollination; perennials in annual crop rotations to improve soil health and provide habitat for wildlife; and permanent rows of bushes and plants along field borders to improve biodiversity and sequester carbon.
The DFWT is a non-profit organization that has promoted the preservation of farmland and wildlife habitat in the Fraser River estuary through co-operative land stewardship with local farmers for more than 30 years.
This $1.5 million is part of the Resilient Agricultural Landscapes Program and is funded through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year (2023-28) $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen competitiveness, innovation and resiliency of the agriculture, agrifood and agriculture-based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities, and $2.5 billion in cost-shared programs and activities that are funded 60% by the federal government and 40% by provincial and territorial governments.
More information about the programs, including criteria and application packages, are available online deltafarmland.ca.