Return on investment of the agro-environmental transition in field crops

The project Return on investment of the agro-environmental transition in field crops looks at five field crop case studies to illustrate how well-integrated agro-environmental practices can improve the environmental performance of agricultural businesses without compromising profitability. By relying on the CRAAQ’s Rotation$+ tool and a margin simulation tool developed by Forest Lavoie Conseil and the PGQ (Producteurs de grains du Québec) for economic analysis, the project supports agricultural advisors in guiding producers and informing their strategic decision-making.

The project is structured around three main components:

1. Identifying adoption barriers of agro-environmental practices through a literature review and survey conducted among field crop producers in Quebec.
2. Co-developing five case studies illustrating the effects of diversified crop rotations on profitability, based on collected and analyzed economic data.
3. Producing advisory and training tools, including summary sheets, educational videos, and an explanatory handbook.

The approach used to develop these case studies followed several steps:

• Identification of relevant crops and agro-environmental practices for the targeted region (Montérégie, with applicability to central and southern regions of Quebec).
• Literature review on barriers to the adoption of agro-environmental practices, along with a survey conducted through individual phone interviews with producers to better understand the reasons behind adoption, non-adoption, or abandonment of these practices.
• Development of the initial content for the case studies, followed by an in-depth reflection led by the project team.
• Structuring of the case studies by defining crop rotations and possible variants for each case.
• Focus group with producers and advisors to discuss the relevance, feasibility, and credibility of the scenarios.
• Final adjustments to the case studies based on feedback from focus group participants and consulted experts, ensuring that they reflect the economic and agronomic realities of the field over several years.
• Selection of five representative case studies in field crops:
  

1. Rotation including winter cereals
2. Rotation including dry beans
3. Rotation including spring canola
4. Rotation without corn
5. Rotation including forage/meadow

• Development of knowledge-sharing tools (summary sheets, educational videos, and an explanatory guide), which will be published at the end of 2026 on Agri-Réseau.

This project is carried out in collaboration with Groupe ProConseil funded by the Government of Quebec (PALCCB – PEV 2030). An advisory committee composed of Groupe ProConseil, Forest Lavoie Conseil, MAPAQ Montérégie, CÉROM, and CÉTAB+ supports its implementation.