Ontario modernizes environmental farm plan to meet future agri-food needs
In case you missed it, in July, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) released a report regarding the modernization of the Ontario Environmental Farm Plan (EFP). Updating things to reflect new realities is always a good idea.
The EFP has a 30-year history of helping farm families increase environmental awareness and develop actionable plans to enhance the environmental conditions on their farms.
The modernization aims to ensure that the EFP continues to meet the evolving needs of farm families and agri-food stakeholders while maintaining a strong focus on environmental protection.
To achieve this, OSCIA conducted extensive consultations, engaging a diverse range of industry representatives.
Farmers, representatives from farm and commodity organizations, OSCIA field staff, value chain staff, conservation authorities, government employees, environmental NGOs, sustainability organizations, and an EFP delivery agent from another province contributed to the discussions. Over 700 touchpoints were made through surveys, workshops, and interviews.
Survey results revealed the top benefits of the EFP program, with 78% of respondents indicating that the program increases farmer knowledge of agri-environmental beneficial management practices, 73% acknowledging its role in reducing environmental risks, and many highlighting the eligibility for cost-share funding as a significant advantage.
Looking forward, the EFP aims to build on this strong foundation by introducing five potential pillars: maintaining education as the core of the program, offering financial incentives, promoting aggregated and anonymous data sharing, streamlining sustainability and quality assurance programming, and exploring carbon market access for additional income streams.
The modernization also includes regular updates to the workbook, developing self-assessment tools, increasing technical support, and enhancing user experience with the eEFP.
Ontario's EFP remains a voluntary program, with farmers able to choose which pillars to participate in based on their needs and interests.
As the province looks to the future, the EFP's modernization efforts will help ensure that Ontario agriculture continues to meet industry and market demands while protecting the environment.