Federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has announced creation of nine new living labs across Canada at a cost of 54 million dollars.
The living labs are designed to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the farm and strengthen the climate resiliency of Canada’s food system.
The first new projects will be in Saskatchewan, B.C., Alberta, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
It also marks the first indigenous-led living lab by the Mistawasis Nehiyawak and Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan.
In Saskatchewan there are two projects.
The first project, at 4.8 million dollars, is indigenous-led and will see farmers and first nations work to improve the surrounding environment through crop diversification, 4R nitrogen stewardship, pesticide management and landscape diversification.
The second project, at 8 million dollars, is for the South of the Divide Conservation Action Plan.
Four key areas include avoiding land use conversion, adaptive grazing, enhancing perennial plant communities and livestock grazing of various annual cover crops.
Its designed to develop farming climate solutions for the prairies.
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