CANADA – Canada is boosting its sustainability efforts in Agriculture by committing to invest CAD 185 million (about US$148 million) over the next 10 years into developing and implementing farming practices to tackle climate change.
The funds will be channelled into the Agricultural Climate Solutions (ACS) programme which aims to establish a Canada-wide network of regional collaborations led by farmers, with support from scientists and other sectoral stakeholders.
Through the programme, stakeholders will work together to develop and share management practices that best store carbon and mitigate climate change.
Practices to be explored include shelterbelts, nutrient management, cover crops, intercropping and conversion of marginal land to permanent cover.
As a result, the work will help protect biodiversity, as well as improve water and soil quality, with a broader mission of building climate resiliency across Canada.
The programme is in response to the worsening climate impacts and increasing risk of wildfires and extreme weather that farmers are facing.
To be eligible for the ACS programme, applicants must form a large network of partnerships within a province, including with agricultural non-profits and environmental groups.
Protein Industries backs development of new soybean products
Meanwhile, Protein Industries Canada has announced that it is investing in a new partnership that will develop and commercialise soybean protein ingredients from Canadian-grown soybeans..
The partnership brings together Canada Protein Ingredients (CPI-IPC), DJ Hendrick International, Agrocorp Processing, Semences Prograin and Synthesis Network.
CPI-IPC and the consortium members have committed around CAD 20 million (about US$16 million) to the project.
CPI-IPC’s individual contribution to the joint venture amounts to CAD 7.3 million (about US$5.8 million), according to a report by FoodBev.
The partners will collaborate to develop a proprietary process for producing soybean protein ingredients and soybean oil that comply with non-GM and organic labelling standards.
Semences Prograin will develop and test non-GM soybean varieties that are optimised for Canada’s growing conditions while DJ Hendrick International and Agrocorp Processing will assist in developing and testing the new end products, as well as in marketing them to international markets.
CPI-IPC, on the other hand, will process the soybean crops at a new facility in Canada, which is expected to break ground in the next 18 months.
The collaboration between CPI-IPC and its partners is timely as Canada currently has no soybean protein isolate or concentrate manufacturing capacity despite being a major producer of soybean.
The project is a clear example of how the Canada’s Protein Industries Supercluster is supporting the country’s plant-based protein industry, creating new opportunities, and providing more options for consumers in Canada and around the world.
Together with industry, Protein Industries Canada says that it has committed more than CAD 347 million to the country’s plant protein sector, with previous investments including a project to improve the functionality of pulse-based ingredients.
“This investment enables Canada Protein Ingredients to meet growing global demands with completely made-in-Canada products,” said CPI CEO Jim Millington.
“CPI is poised to commercialise Canadian science, further process Canadian soybeans and respond to a global market hungry for plant-based protein.”
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