Whenever we look ahead to the future of food and farming, the clear challenge is feeding up to 9 billion citizens across the globe. The prevailing wisdom looks towards technological improvements based on monoculture crops, GMO plants, chemicals and chemical fertilizer. This analysis often assumes the world to be static, with only the population changing. However, tying agriculture solely to these techniques has effectively linked the future of our food supply to the one resource that will go up in cost and disappear one day – oil. It also ignores the threat that climate change introduces to food production: uncertainty. In fact, even here in Southern Ontario we are now farming with 200 more corn heat units (an index showing the amount of heat required for different varieties) than we did when I started farming some 30 years ago, a 6.5% increase and strong indicator that things are warming up quickly.

It also introduces risks to farming that, up until 50 years ago, were largely managed by farmers. Industrial commodity based food systems that tether farmers to oil and commodity prices, do not focus on managing climate change risk and have introduced another layer of risk farmers never contemplated before: The fact that your industrial supplier might get it wrong.

Just ask the Canadian cattle industry how much it cost the farmers the day someone thought it was a good idea to turn cattle into cannibals by grinding blood and bone meal into cow feed as a cheap protein source. Mad cow disease not only threatened lives, but also created a loss of confidence in the food supply by eaters, a burden not born by suppliers, but by eaters and farmers. The farmer, as manager of chemicals and diesel fuel, can be considered the wagging tail of an industrial dog; part of a “value chain” that produces little value for farmers or eaters; and it certainly is not making money for farmers. A chain that produces fuel for humans, but not necessarily nourishment.

This is not a recipe for resilience, for planning ahead, for feeding the world a healthy diet, for developing methods where farmers globally can feed themselves and their communities. In fact, the recipe breaks the first rule of sustainable farming….that farms must be economically viable. But there is another kind of farming that builds resilience into the system and pays farmers, it’s a balanced approach.

The tragedy for me as a farmer is the eroding of our natural skills that sustained us and made us relevant for centuries: the ability to manage natural resources like the sun’s energy, soil life, organic matter, carbon and water. Nature is increasingly the forgotten partner in agriculture, but as we have learned with the emergence of pesticide-resistant weeds, nature usually wins. It’s time to reconnect agriculture with nature in a harmonious relationship rather than an adversarial one.

Where can we look to find resilience? By first understanding ours is a working landscape and that food production does not occur in a sterile space beside nature, it is intertwined. Secondly, by valuing nature’s benefits, we can harvest all the value farms produce by reintegrating nature’s cycles back into farming. Farms can become huge generators of important services for society, such as water filtration, carbon sequestration or biodiversity.

The benefits that nature provides are not a one-way street however, as farmers can reap from nature services that help them farm sustainably. And model examples exist now in Canada. The Alternative Land Use Services program operating now in both Norfolk County, Vermillion, Alberta and P.E.I., provides incentives for farmers who plant an innovative new hedgerow called a “pollinator hedgerow”. These windbreaks effectively curb soil erosion and, most importantly as we head into hotter and drier conditions, slow crop transpiration rates and preserve precious moisture. The hedgerow itself is made up of native flowering tree and shrub species that provide nectar (food) for native bees that are then available to pollinate field crops as required. Simple in design, the pollinator hedgerow helps preserve soil, sequesters carbon, filters water, and helps foster native bees, all issues important for society. The farmer experiences the benefit of true resilience, attracting and keeping crop pollinators, preserving moisture and capturing escaped nutrients through the tree roots and cycling them back onto the field through the litter.

The pollinator hedgerow highlights the types of activities innovative farmers can discover by reconnecting with nature through community based Alternative Land Use Services programs. The mechanism also will create new markets for farmers by aggregating ecological services that can be sold into markets requiring carbon, biodiversity or water quality credits.

Is it governments’ role to run and fund this type of programming? Not necessarily, but government can create the condition for program success by assisting piloting of the programs and policies in new communities, Most importantly, it can foster development of science-based protocols that support the quantification and verification of nature’s benefits created on-farm.

Development of sustainable and resilient food production systems by definition insists that we use natural biological cycles wherever possible to assist crop production. Do I advocate complete rejection of technological advances and a return to the Luddite age? Of course not, in fact, on our own grass-fed cattle operation we utilize very modern and productive grass varieties, created through traditional breeding techniques, for our spring and fall forage. Ancient native grasses called tall grass prairies that are diverse, heat-loving poly-cultures, however, supplement these modern grasses. These ecosystems possess roots 4 times as deep as the modern grasses, providing extreme drought and heat tolerance for dry season feed, something modern technology has yet to tackle in a meaningful way. We’ve obtained resilience for hotter and drier conditions by understanding what nature has to offer.

Like most things in life, we must find balance to sustain ourselves and, in production of the food that nourishes us, must foster all the skills of the people on the land to provide for a system that is resilient and beneficial to human health. Re-connecting with that nature provides agriculture builds resilience, creates benefits for society and value for farmers – a greater harvest than we have ever contemplated before. Governments can provide a leadership role by helping better defining benefits that nature provides and developing incentive mechanisms that support their production on the farm. For a sustainable future, we need to highlight and reward the activities of farmers who have something very important to offer – understanding of natural rhythms, systems and the interconnected nature of our food bearing lands.

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ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION:

Facilitated by the Norfolk ALUS Partnership Advisory Committee (PAC) in partnership with Norfolk County, Norfolk ALUS is a voluntary, incentive based program providing payments to farmers for returning marginal and environmentally sensitive farmland into native vegetative cover and wetlands for the production of ecosystem services. Norfolk ALUS recently wrapped up a successful three year pilot project engaging 85 farm families across Norfolk County impacting over 700 acres of land and is now embarking on the development of a permanent ALUS program. The permanent program will continue to build on three years of successful community engagement and project development by the ALUS Team and; will increase its scope to include work in priority areas identified in the ALUS 5 Year Vision. Applicants are strongly urged to review www.NorfolkALUS.ca to review the ALUS 5 Year Vision; and the ALUS concept, its history, and the 2007-2011 Norfolk ALUS Pilot Project.

Business Development & Research Coordinator description:

PURPOSE OF POSITION:

Are you excited about the role of ecosystem services and sustainable agriculture in creating healthy landscapes? The Norfolk Alternative Land Use Services Program is seeking a Business Development & Research Coordinator who will oversee the implementation of the ALUS 5 Year Vision. This position is ideal for an individual with a background in environment/sustainability and business studies and who has an interest in sustainable agriculture, ecosystem services and valuation, and the role of business in environmental sustainability. The ALUS 5 Year Vision contains the framework to be implemented by the successful candidate and the ALUS Team to transition Norfolk ALUS from its pilot project stage to a permanent program in Norfolk County.

We are looking for an energetic, self starter, who is capable of working as part of a team and independently to accomplish the goals of ALUS. The successful candidate will network, collaborate, and coordinate with government and non government agencies; existing and potential funding sources; the Norfolk ALUS Partnership Advisory Committee (PAC) and ALUS Project Coordinator; and project researchers to execute and refine the ALUS 5 Year Vision.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

• Implement the transition of Norfolk ALUS through an interim governance structure to a permanent program.
• Coordinate research projects related to ecosystem valuation, market development, and sustainable business models; and ensure their contributions align with the ALUS 5 Year Vision.
• Work to develop a sustainable business model to support a permanent ALUS Program in Norfolk County.
• Develop and maintain, at the grass roots level, a good working relationship with the agricultural community in Norfolk County and existing ALUS project partners.
• Follow, under indirect supervision, generally accepted administrative and business policies and practices.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Report directly to the Chair of the ALUS PAC and the Superintendent of Forestry & Cemeteries.
• Implement the ALUS 5 Year Vision within the established protocols, forecasted timeframes, and budget.
• Network with partners, agencies, and individuals including participating farmers, who have committed resources or an interest towards the participation and/or implementation of the ALUS 5 Year Vision.
• Continue effective communication campaigns to raise awareness and refine, from research and verification, the ecosystem services produced from ALUS projects.
• Support the PAC, including researching information, processing correspondence, and other general duties as assigned.
• Liaise and support researchers and others studying the ALUS concept; verification of ecosystem services; carbon sequestration protocol development; and the governance structure required to administer and finance a larger ALUS program.
• Work closely with, and in full view of the public.
• Adhere to proper protocols for documenting, recording and compiling data.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILL:

• Post secondary education in a related field (Business Administration, Marketing, Resource/Agricultural Management or Environmental Studies) and two years relevant work experience in business/marketing, preferably related to agriculture or natural resource management or a combined education and experience equivalent.
• Practical understanding of business planning, product development, marketing, environmental and ecological sustainability, farming and agricultural sustainability.
• A strategic thinker familiar with the role of business and sustainability, sustainable business models and able to work productively in a complex business environment.
• Experience working with a variety of partners and developing and building relationships between the private and public sector is an asset.
• Experience writing funding and grant applications and reporting to funders is an asset.
• Excellent skills in public relations, communications, relationship building, and networking with diverse partner organizations.
• Understanding of municipal, provincial, and federal legislation; and regulations governing natural resources.

MUST HAVE:

• Thorough understanding of the practices relating to the field of business and marketing.
• Understanding of the Alternative Land Use Services Principles and Practices.
• Excellent word processing skills and familiarity with Microsoft Office including Microsoft Word, Power Point and Excel a willingness and ability to learn basic functions of related department computer software.
• Proven ability to work as a member of a team and in situations without direct supervision.
• Good communications, administrative, negotiation and organizational skills.
• Must be aware of safe working practices for volunteers, partners and self, and must have a basic understanding of the Occupational Health & Safety Act.
• A valid Ontario Driver’s license.

Please submit your resume and cover letter (Microsoft Word or Adobe pdf.) to kristen.thompson@norfolkcounty.ca by May. 16, 2011. Only those candidates requested for an interview will be contacted.

(featuring Bryan Gilvesy, Co-Chair of Sustain Ontario)

Bryan Gilvesy’s Courtland farm has become home to some squatters.

No worries, though. Gilvesy, a cattle farmer in western Norfolk County, has come to expect their arrival each spring. In fact, he looks forward to it.

The guests taking up residence on his farm are blue birds and until about three years ago, Gilvesy had never seen hide nor feather of them. Now he makes sure they’re comfortable during their stay. Gilvesy recently installed 42 blue bird boxes on his pastoral property for them to roost.

“I never saw a blue bird in my life. Now I notice that they’re here,” Gilvesy said.

Gilvesy has his own land stewardship practices to thank — practices that have been further encouraged and rewarded by a pilot program in Norfolk called Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS).

ALUS is a farmer-driven initiative that sees marginal cropland taken out of service and reclaimed by nature. In return, farmers are paid a fair price for the good work they’re doing for the planet.

In the wonderland of ALUS, that converted marginal cropland is seen as “natural capital.” Agriculture and the earth work in unison, instead of the pressures to make farming profitable putting the two at loggerheads.

“It’s allowed us to reconnect with the reasons why we’re farming,” said Gilvesy, who chairs the Norfolk ALUS Pilot Project. “It’s farming in synch with nature. That’s something lost in modern agriculture because you turn to standard production methods, or buy more fertilizer this or more fertilizer that.”

ALUS was a concept first discussed by the Norfolk Federation of Agriculture in 2001. Farmers were keen on the concept but finding the funding to make it a reality set off years of work and — finally — contributions from a dozen wildlife and provincial organizations, including the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Local farmers raised $1.25 million to get the Norfolk ALUS pilot project officially started in 2008.

Gilvesy joined the effort in 2005 after trying to find funding to build a stream crossing on his farm that would protect the waterway from his longhorn cattle.

“I thought surely there must be money for this because we know there’s money for mitigation,” Gilvesy said.

Much to Gilvesy’s chagrin, there was little green to go green on the farm. He said he was told to let  his cattle run amok and do some damage to the stream, then he could get some cash for his project. His findings angered him, he said.

To continue reading this article from Eating Niagara click here.

Images of salamanders, Oak Savannah, native grasses, restored wetlands, Texas Longhorn Cattle and working farms provided beautiful visuals of how the farm community is building upon its deep-rooted stewardship ethic.

$3,487. That is the estimated value PER HECTARE per year of ecological services provided by Ontario’s natural capital: wildlife habitat, water filtration zones, carbon sinks, woodlands, grasslands and wetlands. Much of this natural capital is found on Ontario farms. ALUS represents a way to engage farmers and provide incentive payments for the valuable ecological goods and services they provide.

A landmark report, the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development stresses the importance of ALUS-type programs for the future sustainability of farming systems and the environment – multifunctionality. “The concept of multifunctionality recognizes agriculture as a multi-output activity, producing not only commodities (food, feed, fibres, biofuels, medicinal products and ornamentals), but also non-commodity outputs such as environmental services, landscape amenities and cultural heritage.”

Find out more about the Ontario ALUS Alliance by contacting Kristen Thompson, ALUS Project Coordinator: kristen.thompson@norfolkcounty.ca