The Canadian Alliance for Net-Zero Agri-food (CANZA) views itself as an organization that sits somewhere in the matrix of quantifying soil carbon, working with farmers, and connecting supply chain players.
Nick Betts, managing director of CANZA, says that the alliance emerged out of a need to connect different points in the value chain. It aims to help farmers deliver on, and profit from, the end-goal of carbon capture that lenders, as well as ingredient and food companies, are working into their strategic plans.
What started as a pilot project to better understand, measure, and track soil carbon is now set to expand far beyond the original scope of 5,000 acres, Betts says, after a funding announcement last week in Ottawa. This $4 million Climate Smart Farming Initiative will happen over the next three-and-a-half years, and the goal is to include 15,000-plus acres over several provinces and growing regions.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) will contribute $2 million in funding through its Agricultural Clean Technology Program – Research and Innovation Stream, with Maple Leaf Foods and Nutrien matching this funding to bring the total to $4 million. Farmers interested in joining the project are asked to contact CANZA.
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