Adopting clean practices and technologies for farm sustainability
News Release
May 24, 2017 – Abbaye de Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, Quebec – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Farmers know the importance of keeping the land, water and air healthy to sustain their farms and livelihoods from one generation of farm family to the next. They also know that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand-in-hand.
Member of Parliament for Brome-Missisquoi, Denis Paradis, announced today, an investment of more than $1.1 million in an Eastern Townships Forest Research Trust’s (ETFRT) project to identify effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on farms, under the Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Program (AGGP).
The ETFRT will study the carbon storage capacity of hybrid poplar filter strips and multi-species riparian buffers, and its effects on the ecosystem, and perform knowledge and technology transfer as well. This project will provide farmers with access to cost-effective best management practices for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Quotes
“This federal government’s investment will enable the ETFRT to develop new clean technologies and practices to enhance the economic and environmental sustainability of Canadian farms and make our agricultural sector a world leader.”
- Denis Paradis, Member of Parliament for Brome-Missisquoi
“This research project will measure the capacity of agroforestry systems, and hybrid poplar filter strips and riparian multi-species buffers to contribute to carbon sequestration at the farm scale. These treed strips also assimilate excess nutrients from the fields before they enter the waterways. The strips of poplars will produce biomass that is essentially carbon-neutral, which can be used as an energy source for the farm, thereby reducing the production of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels.”
- Benoit Truax (Ph.D.) and Daniel Gagnon (Ph.D.), lead researchers on the Eastern Townships Forest Research Trust project
Quick Facts
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The AGGP is a $27-million initiative intended to help the agricultural sector adjust to climate change and improve soil and water conservation.
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The Eastern Townships Forest Research Trust’s (ETFRT) goal is to foster the development and transfer of scientific knowledge and technology in forest management and agroforestry.
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