The project Veiller au grain pour un avenir durable (Guarding the grain for a sustainable future) aims to create concrete opportunities for collaboration between the various players in the supply chain to accelerate the transition to regenerative and diversified production of cereals and legumes (notably fall wheat, fall rye, sunflower, fall canola, malt barley and camelina) on Montérégie field crop farms.
Our work
REGENERATIVE AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
Greenhouse gas emissions from the food system account for about one-third of total emissions in Canada, with agricultural production alone accounting for at least 10%. In addition, many agricultural lands suffer significant losses in biodiversity, soil health and water quality. However, food and agriculture do not only have negative effects on the environment: when practiced sustainably, they have enormous potential to provide solutions for people and the planet.
Regenerative agriculture practices (crop rotation, minimum tillage, minimum use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, planting of trees and cover crops, etc.) have the overarching goal of allowing the land to produce at its full potential while regenerating itself. Specifically, regenerative agriculture can sequester large amounts of carbon, significantly improve soil health and its ability to absorb and retain water, and restore biodiversity while maintaining high yields. These benefits are essential both to increase our resilience to climate change and to help slow it down, while maintaining our ability to provide healthy food for all.
Our approach
There are hundreds of initiatives and thousands of pioneering farmers around the world practising regenerative agriculture and agroecology, but progress at scale is fragmented and slow. The traditional agri-food system resists change because of economic, political and social pressures to produce more and more at an ever lower cost. Yet change is needed, for the survival of both the planet and the industry itself.
The few projects already being carried out by pioneering farmers and companies need to be shared, multiplied and linked together, to reach widespread adoption. Three key elements for success are financial measures, technical assistance and support from farming communities and the public.
Strategies
FoodBridge aims to intervene at strategic points across the food system to shift the fundamental conditions for farmers toward greater resilience and regeneration :
- UNDERSTAND the sources of problems through active listening and participatory research;
- CREATE bold partnerships with food companies and other actors in the food value chain (researchers, farmers, manufacturers, retailers, investors, non-profits, etc.);
- PROMOTE the development of policies and programs that support regenerative agriculture and food systems within the public and private sectors;
- COMMUNICATE the need for change and the progress made.
Other active or completed projects:
- A study of the strategic support that philanthropic organisations can bring to sustainable agriculture in Canada (for the Transition Accelerator). See the final report: Strategic Framework for Sustainable Agriculture in Canada: Recommendations for Philanthropy.
- Building partnerships with buyers, advisors, researchers and grain and pulse producers for systems change projects, particularly in Ontario and Quebec.
- Coordination of research on agricultural advisory services for Nature United.