New Agricultural Climate Solutions – Living Labs, Partners and Activities

From: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Backgrounder

The Government of Canada announced new living labs under the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Agricultural Climate Solutions – Living Labs program. The living labs are a collaborative approach to agricultural innovation, bringing together farmers, scientists and other stakeholders to co-develop and test new practices and technologies in a real-life context, so they can be adopted more quickly by Canadian farmers.

The new activities planned for each living lab will focus on carbon sequestration and mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the development and testing of beneficial management practices (BMPs), which could then be widely adopted across the region and country.

The new living labs are:

Recipient Organization	AAFC Funding	Location(s)	Project Focus
L’Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA)	$9.2M	Quebec	This living lab is focused on producer needs in five key agricultural sectors in Quebec: dairy, cattle, pork, sheep, and field crops. The BMPs being developed and tested across several regions of Quebec include crop rotation with forage, cover cropping, and soil amendments; better management of forage crops, feeding systems, and animal waste; ecological restoration, preservation, and reappropriation of sweetgrass; and agroforestry and sustainable watercourse management.
Les Producteurs de lait du Québec (Les PLQ)	$7M	Quebec	In partnership with Agrinova, Centre d'initiatives en agriculture de la région de Coaticook and UPA-Montérégie, this living lab has a network of 20 farms in four regions of Quebec. Focused on working with producers to develop and test BMPs on the farm, the goal of this living lab is to help reach net zero GHG emissions in the dairy industry. In addition to common BMPs in the dairy industry, the activities will explore the impact of riparian strips, and biochar on biodiversity and carbon sequestration.
Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA)	$9.2M	Ontario	This living lab will work directly with producers to develop and test BMPs on up to 50 farms across Ontario. The focus of the activities will be on livestock and cropping systems, nitrogen use, manure storage, landscape management, and grazing management.
East Prince Agri-Environment Association (EPAA)	$4.5M	Prince Edward Island (PEI)	This living lab is focused on strengthening the sustainability of PEI’s agricultural sector by co-developing and testing BMPs and technologies on Island farms. In addition, the project will identify financial and non-financial barriers to adopting BMPs and implement awareness, engagement, and knowledge transfer activities. BMPs being explored feature kelp in diets of cattle, rotational grazing, hedgerows, edge-of-field wetlands, organic soil amendments (for example, biochar, manure, compost), and cover crop rotation with legumes.
Manitoba Association of Watersheds (MAW)	$9.2M	Manitoba	This living lab will develop and test BMPs for nutrient management, natural and agricultural landscapes, water retention, agroforestry, crop and livestock integration, grazing management, rhizome microbiome, soil organic matter growth and soil health, as well as facilitating better use of resources. A key focus of these activities will be to bridge the gap between understanding and implementation.