Guarding the grain for a sustainable future
Veiller au grain pour un avenir durable
At FoodBridge, we contribute to the transition to regenerative agricultural practices by setting up collaborative, engaging projects that integrate stakeholders all along the food chain from field to table, with an approach that focuses on landscapes. To this end, FoodBridge is developing 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 practices on field crop farms in the Montérégie region through strategic collaborations.
The Montérégie region is one of the largest and most productive in Quebec due to its geography and soil make-up. It is responsible for a large proportion of the province’s field crop production, notably corn and soybeans. Practices selected for pilot projects will respect the unique realities of each farm and landscape.
Among these practices, we will explore the introduction of diversified crops such as fall cereals (wheat, spelt, rye, triticale), oats, sorghum, barley, hemp, flax, buckwheat, sunflower, fall canola, mustard, beans, dry peas and faba beans. As well as contributing to soil health (and therefore productivity and resilience), these crops offer the opportunity to create new markets and diversify farm income. We also plan to encourage the adoption of other regenerative practices, including increased use of cover crops, reduced use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and reduced tillage.
As all change involves risk, the transition to regenerative practices cannot rest on farmers’ shoulders alone. We firmly believe that the engagement and collaboration of stakeholders from all parts of the food chain (inputs, production, trading, processing, distribution, retail, as well as funding, research and technical support organizations), in a pre-competitive context, is an essential key to ensuring this transition and making it a success.
Veiller au grain pour un avenir durable builds on the recent work of other initiatives and organizations, and will be carried out in collaboration with them where relevant. We also take this opportunity to thank the members of the steering committee:
- Marie Bipfubusa (CEROM)
- Samuel Comptois (PleineTerre)
- Yvan Faucher (MAPAQ Montérégie)
- Étienne Lafrance (Producteurs de grains du Québec)
- Jean-Pascal Matteau (Université Laval)
- Cécile Tartera (Groupe ProConseil)
- Marlène Thiboutot (Concertation Grains Québec)
- William Overbeek (Fermes Overbeek)
- Annick Van Campenhout (CTAQ)
The two main stages of this project are :
An inventory of relevant knowledge, data and related initiatives.
2.
The implementation of pilot projects in a collaborative approach between those who produce, buy, process or sell food.
Our ultimate aim is to use the lessons learned to deploy the project on a larger scale. To learn more or discuss participation in the project, contact us at info@foodbridge.ca.
This project is made possible thanks to the support of the Stratégie bioalimentaire Montérégie, Co-operators and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnerships.
