Agriculture Hits the Trails Project Backgrounder
October 07, 2009
Immediate Release
October 7, 2009
AGRICULTURE HITS THE TRAILS LAUNCH
BACKGROUNDER
THE PARTNERS
AGCare (Agricultural Groups Concerned About Resources and the Environment) and the Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC), with funding from the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, created Agriculture Hits the Trails. Many conservation partners also supported this initiative, including Conservation Ontario, Credit Valley Conservation, Conservation Halton, Hamilton Conservation Authority, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority, the Bruce Trail Association, and the Oak Ridges Trail Association.
THE TRAILS
AGCare and OFAC along with other project partners have developed a series of six (6) interpretive signs showcasing environmental achievements made by farmers. These signs are being installed along hiking trails across the Greenbelt in Ontario.
The signs host information on Environmental Farm Plans, how farmers are reducing greenhouse gas emissions, how farmland provides us with many environmental benefits such as wildlife habitat, how farmers are protecting water quality, and the importance of buying local food.
THE SIGNS
An initial 60 signs are being installed throughout the trails within the Greenbelt that cover over 1,000 km in southern Ontario. They can be found along the Bruce Trail, Oak Ridges Trail, Elora Cataract Trailway, and within conservation areas operated by Credit Valley Conservation, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), Conservation Halton, Hamilton Conservation Authority, and the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA).
FARMERS INVOLVEMENT
Many of the hiking trails within the Greenbelt in Ontario are located on or near farmland.
Farmers are the environmental stewards of the land and are doing great things to help protect and preserve our environment, including Environmental Farm Plans, nutrient management plans, crop rotation, minimum tillage and other stewardship projects.
Each sign has been designed to make hikers and other trail users aware of their surroundings and what farmers are doing to protect our environment.
THE INFORMATION BEHIND THE SIGNAGE
Changes in farming practices have resulted in the following:
Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions
· Conservation tillage allows a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 125,000 cars or almost 3 of 4 cars on Toronto’s Don Valley Parkway
· Over 600 kilotonnes of carbon not being released from the soil due to conservation tillage
· Reducing tillage conserves soil carbon reducing greenhouse gas emissions
· Almost 2/3 (63%) of Ontario’s farmers use conservation tillage (“no till” or “reduced tillage”) affecting nearly 4 million acres, roughly the size of Lake Ontario
·
Investment – By Individual Farmers
· $600 million on individual on-farm environmental improvements
· $100 million through internationally recognized Environmental Farm Plan (EFP)
· Over 33,000 farmers (over 70% of Ontario’s 45,000 farmers) have participated in the EFP and growing
· Farmers invest $3 for every $1 government programs invests in environmental programs
Participation and Training
· 300,000 days of environmental training such as Environmental Farm Plan workshops, Grower Pesticide Safety Course, and Nutrient Management Training
Pesticide Reduction
· 52% reduction in pesticide use
· All farmers purchasing and applying pesticides must be trained and certified every five years
For further information please contact:
Jackie Fraser, Executive Director, AGCare jfraser@agcare.ca Cell 519-831-6557 or Office 519-837-1326