The Federal and Provincial Governments are investing in projects that will help farmers adopt beneficial land-use management practices to increase environmental resiliency on farms in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Funding from the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s (Sustainable CAP) Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program helped support 17 initiatives in Newfoundland and Labrador in the program’s first year (2023-24), with an investment of more than $708,000. To date in 2024-25, 30 projects with a value of $868,039 have been approved to implement Beneficial Management Practices on 487 acres of land.
The current 2024-25 intake period saw increased interest, with 40 applications submitted during this period – almost double the number of applications received in 2023-24. Review of applications for the current intake period is ongoing. Applications will open again in spring 2025.
The Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program focuses on improving ecosystems through:
- Activities that decrease the amount of marginal and fragile lands used for cropping.
- Activities that maintain healthy, resilient soils while naturally mitigating the impacts of climate change on farms.
- Agri-environmental beneficial management practices that seek to increase and enhance multiple ecological goods and services.
- Awareness and knowledge transfer, extension services, program development and product development services related to eligible RALP activities and outreach.
Initiatives include maintaining and providing healthy soil and water resources, wildlife habitat and biodiversity, and adapting to the impacts of climate change. Specific projects and funding amounts are listed in the Backgrounder below.
The Sustainable CAP is a five-year (2023-2028), $3.5 billion agreement between the federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation and resiliency of Canada’s agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and $2.5 billion that is cost-shared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially/territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories.
Applications are currently open for Sustainable CAP initiatives. For more information, visit the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture’s Sustainable CAP website. To learn more about federally funded Sustainable CAP programs, visit the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada website.
Quotes
“I am pleased to note the success of the first year of funding for the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the great interest the program generated this year. Through this forward-thinking initiative, farmers can enrich and enhance the province’s farmland and adapt their farms and practices to the impacts of climate change. I look forward to watching this program and the province’s farms grow.”
Honourable Elvis Loveless
Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture
“Farmers right across Newfoundland and Labrador know just how important it is to have a strong and sustainable agricultural sector. The success of the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program is proof of their commitment to adopting beneficial management practices on their farms, which will help the sector thrive for generations to come.”
Honourable Lawrence MacAulay
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
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Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership – Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership – Government of Canada
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BACKGROUNDER
The Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program, a $250-million cost-shared program under the Sustainable CAP, was put in place across Canada to help producers conserve and enhance the resiliency of agricultural landscapes. This new program uses an ecological goods and services payment approach to support on-farm adoption and complements other programs, such as the Agricultural Climate Solutions On-Farm Climate Action Fund to address climate change.
2023-24 Program Payments in Newfoundland and Labrador
| Recipient
|
Beneficial Management Practice (BMP) | Program Payment |
| Big Falls Agriculture
Ltd. |
BMP 32: Transition to Zero Tillage on Annual Cropland | $39,196.20 |
| Desmond Sellers –
Nature’s Best |
BMP 15: Increasing Frequency of Perennials in Annual Rotations | $16,451.10 |
| Georgina Fudge –
Rolling Acres Farm |
BMP 15: Increasing Frequency of Perennials in Annual Rotations | $33,546.60 |
| HRT Beef Farm Ltd. | BMP 15: Increasing Frequency of Perennials in Annual Rotations | $79,566.00 |
| Kent Fudge –
Mountain View Farm |
BMP 15: Increasing Frequency of Perennials in Annual Rotations | $49,620.00 |
| Kristopher Fudge –
Lone Pine Farm |
BMP 15: Increasing Frequency of Perennials in Annual Rotations | $43,175.00 |
| Larch Grove Farm
Ltd. |
BMP 58: Planting Nitrogen-Fixing Perennial Crops | $53,316.00 |
| Larry Warren –
Warren’s Farm |
BMP 10: Cover Crops | $15,367.50 |
| Lester’s Farm Market
Inc. |
BMP 10 and 15: Cover Crops and Increasing Frequency of
Perennials in Annual Rotations |
$64,706.00 |
| Lorne Rowsell | BMP 15: Increasing Frequency of Perennials in Annual Rotations | $48,284.00 |
| Melvin Ryan – M & J
Farm |
BMP 58: Planting Nitrogen-Fixing Perennial Crops | $8,719.00 |
| O’Regan’s Pasture
Inc. |
BMP 63: Rotational Grazing of Tame Pasture | $49,297.00 |
| Ocean View Farms
Limited |
BMP 10: Cover Crops | $22,968.00 |
| Patricia and Craig
Lester – Lesbrook Farm |
BMP 58: Planting Nitrogen-Fixing Perennial Crops | $59,407.00 |
| Robert and David
Walsh – Glenview Farm |
BMP 58: Planting Nitrogen-Fixing Perennial Crops | $53,805.00 |
| Sunrise Dairy Limited | BMP 15: Increasing Frequency of Perennials in Annual Rotations | $62,750.00 |
| William E Rowsell –
Indian River Farm |
BMP 49: Convert marginal and high-risk annual cropland to
permanent grassland or perennial biomass crops, which includes establishments of tame forages |
$8,585.00 |
| Total | $708,759.40 |