The Fédération de l'UPA de la Montérégie and ALUS announce that the ALUS Montérégie program will enable the development of nearly 22 hectares of farmland in 2023, in order to preserve agriculture and biodiversity for the benefit of communities and future generations.

This year, 42 agricultural enterprises located in 35 Montérégie municipalities have committed to carrying out developments, some of which will take place in the Beauharnois-Salaberry and Vaudreuil-Soulanges RCMs.

Projects to create wider riparian buffers, multifunctional hedges, pollinator strips, flower meadows with herbaceous plants and areas for delayed mowing will make a considerable contribution to maintaining and creating biodiversity on the territory.

The benefits are very real: the natural infrastructures created and enhanced by the producers help to strengthen biodiversity and the resilience of farms and communities to climate change, such as floods and droughts. The whole community benefits. 

To support these projects, participating agricultural businesses will receive financial rewards of over $73,300 by 2027. In addition, ALUS Montérégie is committed to the sustainability of the projects, as the conservation contracts for 24 projects totalling 12.2 ha established in 2018 will be renewed for another 5 years. This represents $44,204 in annual management and stewardship payments to ensure the long-term maintenance of ALUS projects."Farmers in our region are getting involved. They invest their time and resources to support sustainable agriculture and biodiversity. The ALUS Montérégie program enables us to support our agricultural producers and showcase their achievements in the agri-environment," says Julien Pagé, 1st vice-president of the Fédération de l'UPA de la Montérégie and president of the ALUS Montérégie committee.  

In 2016, the Fédération de l'UPA de la Montérégie set up the first agri-environmental program in Quebec to offer financial rewards, thanks to the support of ALUS. To date, the ALUS Montérégie program includes 131 farms. Together, they devote over 121 ha of farmland to the development of ecosystem goods and services in 14 MRCs and 60 municipalities in the Montérégie region.

"Agricultural producers are uniquely positioned to offer solutions that address some of the most pressing challenges of our time, including climate change and biodiversity loss. ALUS offers a unique way to improve the environment: working with local partners like UPA Montérégie to preserve agriculture, wildlife and natural spaces for communities and future generations," adds Bryan Gilvesy, President and CEO of ALUS.