The Fédération de l'UPA de la Montérégie and ALUS announce that, thanks to the ALUS Montérégie program, 4.43 hectares of farmland will be developed this year in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region to promote sustainable agriculture and biodiversity, all for the benefit of communities and future generations.

This year, 13 agricultural enterprises in the region will commit to developing extended riparian buffers, multifunctional hedges, pollinator strips, flowering meadows with herbaceous plants, or plots for delayed hay mowing to benefit field birds.

These projects will help to maintain and create biodiversity in the region. The natural infrastructures created by farmers will strengthen biodiversity and the resilience of farms and communities to climate change, for the benefit of all.

The participating farms will be announced in December.

“Farmers are aware of the importance of preserving ecosystems while ensuring the viability of farms. The ALUS Montérégie program offers them a unique opportunity to combine agriculture and the environment. By investing in these sustainable developments, producers are voluntarily contributing not only to the resilience of their farms in the face of current environmental challenges, but also to that of their communities,” points out Julien Pagé, 1st Vice-President of the Fédération de l'UPA de la Montérégie and Chairman of the ALUS Montérégie committee.  

To support these new projects, participating farm businesses will receive financial rewards totalling nearly $72,400 between now and 2028. ALUS Montérégie is also committed to ensuring the long-term future of these developments.

In fact, the conservation agreements established in 2019, covering 19.04 hectares, will be renewed for another 5 years, representing an investment of more than $65,000 in annual payments to ensure the long-term maintenance of ALUS projects.

“ALUS Montérégie was the first ALUS community to be established in Quebec, and it continues to grow every year. The agricultural producers involved in the program play an important role in countering some of the most pressing issues of our time, such as the loss of biodiversity and resilience in the face of climate change. We are proud to continue our collaboration with ALUS Montérégie agricultural producers and local partners such as the Fédération de l'UPA de la Montérégie to preserve agriculture, wildlife and natural spaces for the present and the future,” adds Bryan Gilvesy, President and CEO of ALUS.

Since 2020, ALUS Montérégie has benefited from the support of the Montreal Port Authority (MPA), a Gold Partner in the program, which has pledged $150,000 over a 5-year period to carry out its projects.

“Our partnership with ALUS Montérégie is in line with our sustainable development objectives. Among other things, it enables us to give concrete expression to our support for the preservation of biodiversity and environmental protection, which are at the heart of our project management processes. We are proud to contribute to the efforts of farmers who share these same objectives, and who are so valuable to the sustainability and prosperity of agriculture in our communities,” concludes Mélanie Nadeau, Vice-President, Public Affairs and Community Relations at APM.