Deadline: the Program will end on March 31, 2028.

 

The purpose of the Environmental Stewardship Designated Program is to:

  1. Improve productive capacity of farmland through enhanced soil health and land-based protection, reducing loss of agricultural inputs into the environment, improving ecosystem health, and helping the sector respond to market demands and instilling public trust;
  2. Help deliver on and complement the outcomes of ecosystem health (which includes biodiversity), greenhouse gas mitigation, resource-use efficiency, and climate change resilience; and
  3. Increase awareness and adoption of best management practices and other activities to address environmental issues and obtain support from the agricultural and agri-food sectors across the supply chain as well as others.

Eligible Activities

The following activities are eligible to be undertaken under the Environmental Stewardship Designated Program, including any Initiative established thereunder:

  1. Using research to improve understanding of the effectiveness of best management practices and innovative tools and technologies for improving environmental outcomes across various site-specific conditions;
  2. Surveilling, monitoring, data analysis and modelling for environment stewardship as well as gathering base-line data, monitoring the progress of and developing predictive models to analyze the impact and improvement of agri-environmental systems;
  3. Providing education and training to raise awareness within the agri-food sector and with consumers about improving environmental sustainability and ecosystem health;
  4. Providing access to advisory services regarding national or international environmental or sustainability-related certifications, verification or assurance systems;
  5. Developing and enhancing tools and resources for decision-making across the agri-food sector’s value chain related to environmental sustainability and ecosystem health as well as explore opportunities to harmonize existing or new tools and resources to address evolving consumer demands and market-access requirements;
  6. Regional and site-specific risk assessment, audit and planning activities;
  7. Implementing best management practices and technologies to improve environmental sustainability and demonstrate progress toward improved environmental outcomes;
  8. Leveraging resources and networks to deliver upon existing or newly-made environmental commitments;
  9. Piloting new or innovative approaches and concepts that support improved environmental outcomes for the agri-food sector’s environmental stewardship;
  10. Pre-commercialization and innovative technology, processes and equipment to support environmental sustainability and ecosystem health;
  11. Developing policy and programs as well as co-ordination and evaluation to support environmental stewardship and to inform future environmental stewardship policy and program development;
  12. Increasing greater diversity, equity and inclusion in the Sector by providing focused support for Indigenous Peoples, women and youth as well as other underrepresented or marginalized groups;
  13. Communicating success stories that build public trust and improve understanding of the Sector’s successes related to environmental stewardship; and
  14. Any activity set out in:
    1. A Recipient’s Transfer Payment Agreement or a Vendor’s Service Level Agreement, or
    2. Any Designated Program Guidelines for the Environmental Stewardship Designated Program or any Initiative Guidelines for any Initiative established under the Environmental Stewardship Designated Program,

provided that activity falls within the purpose of the Environmental Stewardship Designated Program.

Eligible Persons

The following are eligible to participate in the Environmental Stewardship Designated Program, including any Initiative established thereunder:

    1. Primary Producers;
    2. Processors;
    3. Industry Organizations;
    4. Research Bodies;
    5. Retailer/Wholesalers;
    6. Service Providers;
    7. P/T/M Governments; and
    8. Indigenous Peoples.