Achieving Balance: The Future of the Environmental Farm Plan Program in Canada

Client: Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute

The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute brings agri-food leaders together to share insights on agri-food issues and opportunities.

The Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) is a voluntary program that ensures farmers are operating environmentally sustainable farms founded on best management practices.  EFP programming has existed in Canada since the ‘90s and operates on federal-provincial and territorial (FPT) funding support. Currently, EFP programs are funded through FPT investments under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. With consultations underway on the Next Agricultural Policy Framework (NPF), CAPI commissioned a timely project to provide insights on the future of EFP programming across Canada.

We supported CAPI by:

• Conducting 33 interviews with staff from EFP delivery organizations across Canada, provincial and territorial agricultural ministries, and representatives of commodity organizations.

• Hosting a two-hour workshop with 30 EFP program and policy staff from across Canada

• Developing an insight report providing context to Canada’s current landscape of EFP programming and implementation nationwide. The report also explains the importance of EFPs, how they align with Canada’s zero-emissions goals, and recommendations for the future of EFP programming across Canada.

• Facilitating a webinar with CAPI to share the results of this work and hosting a panel discussion with three different perspectives in Canadian agriculture

“(There) shouldn’t be question if there will be an EFP program under the [Next Agricultural Policy Framework]. The EFP is fundamental to the work we do across Canada. It is absolutely a foundation piece. … If we didn’t have an EFP program, we wouldn’t have support for farmers for agri-environmental issues on the farm.”

- Provincial Agriculture Ministry representative

A snapshot of What We Heard

• The EFP program can continue to be the flagship agri-environmental program and education tool for farmers across Canada, helping them meet Canada’s net-zero emissions goals by 2050.

• The EFP program is evolving with the delivery methods, content and focus, and staff and resources currently in a critical stage of transition.

• Uptake of EFP programming varies across provinces and territories for multiple reasons. This includes differences in cost-share funding program structures, as well as the differences in prevailing farm types.

Is your organization interested in facilitating workshops with diverse groups of agri-food sector stakeholders? Our team of professionals can help!

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