Innovative Opportunity for Agriculture Producers

Join ALUS Coordinator Christine Bobey as she explains the program and gave farmers & ranchers in Sturgeon County information on first steps and how the program could benefit them.

The ALUS program, named for the alternative land use services pilot project that launched it, is a community-developed and farmer-delivered program that works with farmers and ranchers to produce valuable ecological services on Canadian farmland. ALUS recognizes the important role producers play as stewards of the land and empowers them to deliver environmental benefits on the working landscape. This includes providing agricultural producers with cost-sharing incentives for starting and maintaining environmental projects.

ALUS focuses on marginal or environmentally sensitive land, including land with waterbodies or watercourses, small or steep fields that cannot be farmed efficiently, highly erodible fields, or areas with poor soil quality. Funding is reserved for projects that deliver ecosystem services such as cleaner air and water, carbon sequestration, erosion control, flood mitigation, pollinator support and improving wildlife habitat.

ALUS projects can provide valuable resilience during times of drought and flood, holding water on the land and storing it in native pants and constructed or restored wetlands. This water retention function serves as a backstop in times of emergency, reducing the impacts of extreme weather. The projects also provide many co-benefits to agricultural producers, e.g. native insects attracted to the habitat can help reduce crop pests.

Still have questions? Or possibly start the process of an ALUS project?
Contact :
Christine Bobey, Conservation Program Coordinator, Agriculture Services
cbobey@sturgeoncounty.ca
 587-984-4702

More information on ALUS is available on the ALUS website.