Initiative
The Alberta EFP - Building Market Opportunities for Farmers.
October 19, 2021 – Edmonton, Alberta – Alberta Environmental Farm Plan
The agriculture industry in Alberta now can access new market opportunities with the help of the Alberta EFP. The program is now launching the EFP+, the first program of its kind in Canada. This program allows producers with environmental farm plans to partner with a select industry organization to reach the internationally recognized standards of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) silver level. As producers reach this standard, they can widen their market significantly and increase options to sell their products because the SAI platform is a global standard for assessing sustainability and has over 130 members. Alberta EFP hosted a webinar on November 4, 2021, for industry groups or companies interested in the EFP as a well-established sustainable sourcing program for their organization.
This program has been developing for several years as more demand to reach specific sustainability standards has increased. Alberta EFP evaluated various programs to identify those that would improve market reach while minimizing administration. AEFP identified the FSA program as an ideal program to link with to show that Alberta farms with EFPs are sustainable, safe and competitive globally.
“What makes this program so great is that it integrates with the existing Alberta EFP. Those eligible to participate in the program need to answer only a few more questions if they have a current Alberta EFP”, says Alberta EFP Director Lisa Nadeau. “All in all, it takes less than an hour of their time.” AEFP is working with various industry organizations so that their producers can access these valuable markets. Organizations can learn more details about this program on from our November 4, 2021 webinar.
The AEFP program also acknowledges the support of the Government of Canada and Alberta through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a five-year, $3 billion investment by Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen and grow Canada’s agri-food and agri-products sectors. . This commitment includes $2 billion for programs cost-shared by the federal and provincial/territorial governments that are designed and delivered by the provinces and territories.
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Media Relations Contact
Carlene Schneider
Agricultural Communications Consultant
Alberta Environmental Farm Plan
780-729-3552
www.albertaefp.com
About the Alberta Environmental Farm Plan
The Alberta Environmental Farm Plan (AEFP) is a voluntary, whole farm self-assessment program that helps producers identify their environmental risks and develop plans to mitigate identified risks. Starting in 2003, over 8,000 farmers have completed an environmental farm plan with the help of 45 technicians based across the province. For more information, find us at http://www.albertaefp.com/.