Productivity and innovation of farmers and ranchers showcased through ALUS Canada’s New Acre™ Project
Here at ALUS Canada, A Weston Family Initiative, we know that farmers and ranchers are the only landowner group in the nation with the wealth of knowledge, the skills, and the extensive private land base to make a real difference to the Canadian environment.
We are very proud of our participants, who are on the front lines of environmental stewardship in this country. We like to call ALUS farmers and ranchers “New Acre™ producers,” because they represent the next generation of Canadian conservation.
We like to call ALUS farmers and ranchers “New Acre producers”.
This term was inspired by the name of ALUS Canada’s recent corporate sponsorship initiative, the New Acre™ Project, whereby ALUS will leverage funds from large Canadian companies with a corporate social responsibility interest in water, carbon, wildlife and agricultural communities.
It is precisely the innovative and productive capacity of our ALUS participants that will attract this important new source of funding for the ALUS program.
Farmers and ranchers have been voluntarily participating in the ALUS program across the country since 2008. The New Acre™ Project will allow ALUS to continue working with those dedicated producers while also bringing new people into the fold.
By going beyond the traditional land-conservation model, ALUS participants turn acres of wetlands, grasslands and woodlands to the active production of ecosystem services with important benefits for all Canadians. They steward their land through innovative ALUS projects designed to produce cleaner air, cleaner water, a habitat for wildlife and pollinators, and more.
Each acre of land enrolled in the ALUS program is managed and maintained by the farmer to produce ecosystem services—a unique product with a strong environmental value as well as a market value that ALUS Canada is working hard to establish.
Through New Acre™ Project, farmers and ranchers have another way to contribute to the community and the economy, in addition to their traditional agricultural activities, growing food and fibre.
And now, New Acre™ Project is encouraging Canadian corporations to support this good work. New Acre™ Project makes it possible for companies to foster the production of ecosystem services through ALUS, thus demonstrating their commitment to the environment in Canadian communities.
We want ALUS farmers and ranchers to have the gratification of seeing their program grow through New Acre™ Project—ALUS participants are already stewarding more than 23,000 acres in 22 communities across six provinces, and we aim to reach 150,000 acres in 75 communities across the nation by 2025.
With the support of corporate Canada, along with that of generous individuals and philanthropic foundations, we strive to provide a new outlet for farmers and ranchers’ innate productivity, to nourish their constant thirst for innovation, and to recognize the value of their contribution to the environmental well-being of their communities.
And to our ALUS participants, thank you for being Canada’s New Acre™ producers. It is your particular brand of land stewardship that will make all the difference to future generations of Canadians.
For more information:
Any ALUS participants or program coordinators who wish to learn more about the New Acre™ Project should contact their ALUS Canada Hub Manager. Full contact information can be found on the ALUS website.
Canadian corporations who are curious about New Acre™ Project should contact ALUS Canada at [email protected] for more information, or visit the New Acre™ Project website.
