A New Project for FoodBridge in Montérégie, Québec: Veiller au grain pour un avenir durable
By Beth Hunter
The accelerating pace of climate change, combined with the current global social and economic pressures, is driving industries across all sectors to reconsider the way they do business – and the agri-food industry is no exception. Despite several important advances in recent years, significant progress is still needed. For example, agricultural greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced and the capacity of soils to capture carbon can be reduced through practices such as planting cover crops. However, implementing such shifts are not straightforward and the constraints, whether technical, technological, or financial, are numerous.
At FoodBridge, we contribute to the shift towards sustainable agriculture by building collaborative projects that integrate the different links of the food chain. We know that the risks of transitioning to regenerative practices cannot rest solely on the shoulders of farmers. We firmly believe that the involvement of stakeholders from all parts of the food chain – inputs, production, trade, processing, distribution, retail, as well as finance, research, and crop improvement organizations – is key to ensuring the success of this transition.
Developing collaborations for tomorrow’s agriculture
We believe that supply chain connections are stronger when established at a regional level. With this in mind, we are launching Veiller au grain pour un avenir durable (Guarding the grain for a sustainable future), a project which aims to encourage the gradual adoption of regenerative and diversified practices on large-scale farms in Montérégie through supply chain collaborations.
Known as Quebec’s breadbasket, Montérégie produces a significant portion of the province’s crops as well as being the site of many food manufacturing plants and the supply shed for numerous ingredients. There are several existing initiatives for sustainable food and agriculture in the region, with which Veiller au grain plans to connect as relevant to ensure complementarity. These include: ALUS (UPA Montérégie), Agri-Climat, Agrobonsens, Commun’assiette Montérégie, Living Labs, the Caravan des sols en santé, crop advising clubs, Concertation Grain Québec and its projects.
We are grateful for the support of the following members Veiller au grain’s advisory committee:
- Marie Bipfubusa (CEROM)
- Samuel Comptois (PleineTerre)
- Jean-Pascal Matteau (Université Laval)
- Cécile Tartera (Groupe ProConseil)
- Marlène Thiboutot (Concertation Grains Québec)
- William Overbeek (Fermes Overbeek)
- Annick Van Campenhout (CTAQ)
The first step of the Veiller au grain project is an assessment of current knowledge and historical experiences with sustainable agriculture in the region, including an analysis of diversified crops with high agronomic and economic potential in Montérégie. “Springboard projects” will be implemented using a collaborative approach among those who produce, buy, process, or sell food. Of an expected three springboard projects, at least one will be related to diversified crops and another is expected to focus on the dominant crops of corn and soy.
Would you like to know more or participate in this project? Contact us.
Veiller au grain pour un avenir durable en Montérégie is made possible thanks to the guidance and financial support of several funders, including the Stratégie bioalimentaire Montérégie and Co-operators.
