ALUS a Go

By JEFF HELSDON, Ontario OUT OF DOORS
Volume 39, Issue 9, Fall 2007

The Ontario pilot of the Alternate Land Use Services programme is moving ahead. ALUS traces its roots to Manitoba and is being led on a national scale by Keystone Agriculture Producers and Delta Waterfowl Foundation.

The grass-roots programme, farmer-led and farmer-driven, pays farmers for environmental services that contribute to cleaner air and water. For instance, farmers would be paid for land taken out of production for planting trees or grass buffers next to waterways.

Funding for the Ontario pilot comes from 56 different partners, including conservation organizations such as the OFAH, National Wild Turkey Federation, and Ruffed Grouse Society.

“It’s simply a fact many of our natural resources and biodiversity exist because of the practices of landowners and farmers,” said OFAH biologist Ed Reid.

The Norfolk Federation of Agriculture in Norfolk County is leading the Ontario pilot. The original intent was to test the ALUS concept on a country-wide basis. A funding shortfall, however, resulted in scaling back. Plans now include adding to the number of demonstration farms and creating a buffer along one of the area creeks. 

Copyright 2007 Ontario OUT OF DOORS. Republished here with the permission of Ontario OUT OF DOORS. No further republication or redistribution is permitted without the express approval of the Ontario OUT OF DOORS.