Backgrounder

Alternate Land Use Services - Norfolk County Pilot Project

The ALUS concept was developed by Manitoba’s largest general farm organization, Keystone Agricultural Producers, in cooperation with a conservation research organization, Delta Waterfowl.  Agricultural and conservation interests led by the Norfolk County Land Stewardship Council, have been working on the ALUS proposal over the past 2 years.

In the first 3- year phase, environmentally sensitive areas will be identified and contracts established with farmers to begin delivery of specific services.  In the proposal, farmers share in the start- up costs and contribute about half of the land required for the project.  Producers will be paid to maintain the services over the duration of the project.  Environmental services will be audited by an independent, farm- based organization.  The pilot proposal also includes a plan to evaluate social, economic and environmental benefits on the farm and in the county. 

The current programs offered under the environmental farm plan portion of the Agricultural Policy Framework focus on environmental risk management and point- sources of pollution, offering producers cost- shared, one- time contributions to fix environmental problems.  Under EFPs, fragile areas such as wetlands, riparian zones and wildlife habitats are identified but without incentives, listing these sensitive areas is a potential liability for the farmer.  There is far less risk in simply draining the wetland, or removing the habitat.  ALUS is needed to complement regulations, APF policies and EFPs, to convert the environmental risk and liabilities into business opportunities on farmlands.

The concept of environmental services is not unique to Canada, and models similar to ALUS are being used around the world to benefit agriculture and the environment.  Canada’s major trading partners are paying farmers and ranchers for environmental services, which does create a serious competitive disadvantage for Canadian producers.

Payment for environmental services is acceptable under international trading rules, and the concept is growing globally through sponsorship by governments, the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility and several others. 

Canada can use the ALUS model to find sustainable solutions to the long- standing environmental and farm income problems in rural communities.