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Agriculture
and the Environment Through the Years
At the beginning of the 1990s, farmers
took the road towards increasingly environmentally friendly
agricultural practices. The objective: to support and encourage
each farmer’s engagement in the adoption of those
practices.
And
what a road it's been!
Sustained by major investments, a
true change of mentality and practices began to happen.
The sums invested in the environment by the producers themselves
stand at about 450 million dollars since the beginning of
the 1990s.
The 44,000 farmers of Quebec have
proven time and time again that they are at the head of
the pack where sustainable agricultural development is concerned.
To find out more, take the time to consult the captions
below.
You will find men and women who, each
day, demonstrate their willingness to preserve the Earth,
which feeds us.
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Agriculture: Contributing to the Kyoto Accord |
Agro-environmental practices
put forward by farmers contribute to diminish greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions:
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The
judicious use of farm fertilizers and spreading practices
reduces emissions. |
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The planting of hedges and
woodlot planning enable the retention of carbon dioxide. |
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Soil conservation practices
help reduce the use of fossil fuels. |
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Greenhouse
Gas Mitigation Program (Le programme d’atténuation
des gaz à effet de serre en milieu agricole
- PAGES)
Since 2003, with the help of the GGMP,
more than 11,000 Quebec farmers were able to
participate in agricultural activities which
enabled them to become familiar with farming
practices that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
During the same period, almost 700 test sites
were set up, facilitating concrete on-farm projects
in different regions of Quebec.
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Fresh
Country Sir
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In order to protect the environment, the use of farm-produced
fertilizers (manures and slurries) is encouraged.
Farmers use them to replace mineral fertilizers to
improve their soils. Nowadays, they do so during the
entire vegetative period rather than only in the fall
because it is during the growth period that the nutrients
are more easily absorbed.
Moreover, by incorporating the nutrients into the
soil shortly after spreading, odours are reduced by
70 per cent.
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An
example of cohabitation in Ville de Sainte-Marie
For the last three years, during the summer,
22 producers whose farms are located in the
area of the prevailing winds in Sainte-Marie
in the Beauce region came to an agreement with
the town in order to limit odours. This agreement,
which extends from June 21st to August 29th
of each year, states that manure spreading will
occur from Monday to Thursday, if possible.
Moreover, there must be no manure spreading
during the “Gigue en fête”
festival.
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Buffer
Zones
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In Quebec, 89 per cent of farms that have watercourses
on their territory maintain an unploughed band of
at least one metre wide. Thanks to the weeds, bushes
and trees, this band protects both the soil and the
water quality.
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Less
is More
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Throughout the last few years, the quantity of pesticides
used on the annual crops has lessened considerably.
The farmers have been using alternatives such as:
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More
localised application |
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Mechanical weeding |
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Applications of reduced dosages |
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Band application (this technique
enables the reduction of 50 per cent of applications) |
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Let’s
recuperate!
From 2002 to 2004, the UPA (Union des producteurs
agricoles), along with Crop Life, was a
partner in a program to collect and properly
dispose of pesticides having past their “best
before” date. The three campaigns throughout
Quebec in 2002, 2003, and 2004, yielded more
than 71,600 kilograms of these products, which
were destroyed in a safe manner.
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Best
Practices
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Environmental Certification Begun
in 2002, the AGRISO certification system was born
out of an alliance between the agricultural, municipal,
and environmental sectors. The goal was to develop
a certification system through an Environmental Management
System (EMS) and to devise tools which will facilitate
the accreditation of farming enterprises.
The AGRISO model is innovative in that it proposes
a three-tiered approach. In 2005, 76 farms had already
implemented an EMS. Of that number, 16 are now accredited
ISO 14001.
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A wealth
of Resources |
Information: A Key Element
From 1997 to 2005, the UPA and its affiliated groups,
with the help of the Conseil pour le développement
de l'agriculture du Québec (CDAQ), invested
more than 12 million dollars towards the realisation
of awareness-raising activities and training sessions
on environmental protection.
Organic Agriculture and the Environment
In 2003, the Fédération d'agriculture
biologique du Québec produced a transition
guide towards organicl agriculture. An entire chapter
is dedicated to sound agronomic practices in organic
agriculture, most notably crop rotation and the management
of crop pests. Some 7,000 copies of the guide were
distributed in a two-year span.
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Reality
Television
Five years ago, the Fédération
de l'UPA de la Gaspésie–Les Îles
introduced programmes on the environment through
the local television network. These television
reports featured local agricultural producers
and made known their reality to the public at
large.
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Gently
Does It |
In Quebec, areas cultivated with reduced tillage
techniques are increasing. These practices are aimed
at preventing soil erosion by leaving an residue crop
on the surface after harvest.
In 2003, 44 per cent of lands with annual crops were
the object of reduced tillage techniques, an increase
of 110,000 hectares as compared to 1998.
What do we mean
by reduced tillage techniques?
This expression refers
to less intensive farming techniques. This manner
of farming has several advantages:
Soil
Conservation in Cash Cropping
The Fédération des producteurs
de cultures commerciales du Québec
distributed, via its affiliated syndicates,
a copy of the Conservation Practices Guide for
Cash Cropping (Guide des pratiques de conservation
en grandes cultures) to some 6,000 farmers.
It invested $300,000 in research and development
projects in soil conservation from 1998 to today.
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A Carefully
Planned Diet |
Animal feeds and feeding methods have a direct impact
on manures and slurries. Thanks to research done over
the years, we have been able to reduce nitrogen and
phosphorous content in animal manure.
In the swine sector, 90 per cent of the herd is now
fed with phytase-containing feeds. Progress has also
been noticed in the poultry sector (laying hens, broiler
chickens, and turkeys).
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Water:
Life Source |
Since 2001, several regional UPA federations have
started well-identification campaigns.
No less than 6,000 reflective
panels now identify the presence of wells, drinking
water sources, or springs. This enables producers
to easily take into account the minimum distances
prescribed by law for the application of manures and
slurries, mineral fertilizers, and compost and pesticides
near and around water sources.
It is in the municipality
of Newport in the Eastern Townships (Estrie) that
the first well identification pilot project was born.
This initiative created a rapid and successful domino-effect.
South
Shore and North Shore areas of Quebec
In the regions of Lévis-Bellechasse,
the North Shore, and Lotbinière-Mégantic,
UPA federations organized informational activities.
The theme: “My Well, My Responsibility.”
These activities attracted more than 500 citizens
and farmers. |
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A World
to Discover |
Research is indispensable to the protection of the
environment. It is for this reason that the Institut
de recherche et de développement en agroenvironnement
(IRDA) (Agroenvironmental Research and Development
Institute) was created in 1998. The UPA and the concerned
ministries (Agriculture, Environment, Industry) were
founding members.
Since the creation of the IRDA, the UPA and its affiliated
groups have contributed nearly six million dollars
to different research projects.
Research
projects led by the IRDA since 1998
| Phytoprotection |
136
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| Water, air, soil resources
and soil profiles and characterization
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116
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| Animal productions, manure
profiles and characterization
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45
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| Animal nutrition, conditioning
of forages |
26
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| Crop fertilization management
and production management
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10
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| Other |
47
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380
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Responsible
Pesticide Use |
The reduction of pesticide quantities used by farmers
in Quebec is, in large part, attributable to the adoption
of new pest-reduction practices in cropping.
Follow the Trail
Thanks to disease, insect and weed screening and detection
methods, we can follow the evolution of a problem
and intervene at the most appropriate time, in the
most appropriate manner. There are 22 agro-environmental
clubs in Quebec whose role includes the screening
and detection of crop pests. These clubs encompass
over 600 fruit and produce enterprises as members.
Other than environmental protection, these practices
favour health and security, quality products as well
as the viability of agricultural enterprises.
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Water Course
Protection |
Controlled
animal access to watercourses is one of the stakes
of water protection in agriculture. The aim is to
eliminate erosion caused by the trampling of embankments,
reduce sediment deposits in the water, and re-establish
a band of vegetation which protects the banks.
Beef
Producers Get Involved
The
Fédération des producteurs de
bovins du Québec (Beef Producers’
Federation), along with the Estrie regional
UPA federation, has developed awareness-raising
tools to encourage limiting cattle access to
watercourses. Some 10,000 pamphlets, 100 copies
of a video, and a technical guide were produced
and distributed.
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On Fertile Land |
Fertilizers: Plant food
Soil fertility is measured by its ability to supply plants with three basic elements: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The art of soil fertilization is to reach a balance between the nutrients added to the soil (manure and mineral fertilizers) and the needs of the plants. This is the purpose of agroenvironmental fertilization plans used by farmers.
"Virtual" Farm Fertilizers
In 2001, the UPA's Centre-du-Québec regional federation created an online farm fertilizer exchange program. This tool, which has proven very useful for both the giving and receiving parties, reduces the use of mineral fertilizers and helps to develop solidarity between farmers. |
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Safety
First |
Agricultural manures and slurries are used preferably
during the plants’ growth periods, usually in
the spring and summer. The reason for which we must
store them is to adequately preserve them before their
application on the fields. There are several safe
storage methods.
One Course of Action
for Egg Producers
In order to facilitate farm manure management, particularly
when it must be transported or transformed for other
uses such as composting, we must resort to treatment,
which, while being marginal, constitutes an interesting
avenue. Producers of eggs for human consumption are
already quite advanced in this area, having developed
on-farm treatment systems and collective treatment
centres.
Notable
Progress
Over
the last few years, the use of mineral fertilizers
has decreased steadily, giving way to the increased
use of farm-produced fertilizers. Between 1998
and 2003, the global purchases of mineral fertilizers
(nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium) declined
been reduced by 20 per cent. Moreover, the quantities
applied per hectare have been reduced by 2 per
cent for nitrogen, by 50 per cent for phosphorous
and by 49 per cent for potassium.
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In Harmony
with Nature |
In 2005, the UPA and the Fondation
de la faune du Québec put into place an
innovative project which offers financial and technical
support to farmers and other agricultural sector groups
to highlight the biodiversity of watercourses in the
agricultural sector. Concrete projects implicating
several hundred farms will have been implemented in
different regions of Quebec by 2010.
Watercourse Conservation
and Development
Since 2002, agricultural
producers in the Bas Saint-Laurent region have put
forth several promising conservation and development
projects for watercourses. These projects are divided
into several points:
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Bank,
watercourse and ditch analyses |
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Preparation of conservation
and development plans |
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Training agricultural producers
on the protection of watercourse banks |
Let’s
take a walk in the woods...
The Fédération des producteurs
de bois du Québec (Wood Producers’
Federation of Quebec) has produced a practical
intervention guide for private forest management,
which contains a multitude of suggestions to
ensure the protection of the fauna, the water,
the soil, and the scenery. Some 50,000 copies
were distributed to forestry producers.
…and along
the water courses
In 2003-2004, a programme
called « Emploi-Nature-Jeunesse »
enabled the hiring of 42 biologists and fauna
technicians to support farmers in their farm
biodiversity enhancement projects.
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Healthy
Forests |
Tree plantation projects are multiplying in all regions
of Quebec. In 2003, it was estimated that almost 4,600
kilometres of windbreak hedges were planted, which
is the equivalent to a return-trip from Montreal to
Orlando, Florida.
To
find out more...
In
2005, the Fédération des producteurs
de porcs du Québec (Pork Producers’
Federation of Quebec) published a guide called
Des haies brise-vent autour des bâtiments
d'élevage et des cours d'exercice.
This guide explains hedge planting techniques
to surround production sites and pastures. It
goes on to explain the multiple environmental
advantages which are derived from them.
A large wooded screen
in the agricultural sector
In
2004 and 2005, within the Lanaudière
UPA federation, more than 22,000 trees and bushes
were planted along Autoroute 25 by youths in
the region. This massive plantation was aimed
at reducing odours, reducing wind speed, and
improving the quality of life.
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A Growing
Family |
Increasing
one’s knowledge of one’s soils, improving
the returns of one’s farm business by reducing
the purchase of pesticides and fertilizers, as well
as sharing one’s experiences: those are only
some of the motivations which compel 8,000 agricultural
producers to become members of an agro-environmental
club in Quebec. These clubs unite more than 20 per
cent of all farm business in the province.
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The Path
Ahead |
As witnessed in these few pages, agriculture has come
a long way in the agro-environmental department in
the last 10 years!
Agricultural producers demonstrate daily that they
know how to be proactive when faced with environmental
concerns. Their actions prove that an approach based
on awareness, training and technical support bears
fruit.
If the efforts and investments ventured to date seem
considerable, they are far from coming to an end.
The UPA and its members will continue to favour incentive
approaches and alliances with organizations which
take the respect of the environment to heart and who
want to act directly in the field.
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