Durham farmland funding can cover up to 100 per cent of eligible environmental improvement projects through a regional programme highlighted by the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority on October 24.
The Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program, or RALP, supports work on agricultural properties, including tree planting, wetland and grassland restoration, pollinator strips and pollinator intercropping.
Regional partnership supports farm improvements
Durham Region and five conservation authorities work together on the programme: Central Lake Ontario, Ganaraska Region, Kawartha, Lake Simcoe Region, and Toronto and Region.
CLOCA says approximately 47 per cent of Durham Region is active agricultural land. The partnership is intended to help landowners improve those landscapes while supporting farm productivity and resilience.
The programme website describes potential projects such as buffers beside waterways, shelterbelts around farms and fields, planting on marginal land, and restoring or creating wetlands. The suitable work depends on the individual property.
Eligibility and maintenance commitments apply
The offer is not an unconditional payment to every farm. Projects must take place on farmland, and recipients must have a fifth-edition Environmental Farm Plan or be working toward completing one, according to the programme website.
A conservation authority can help with that process. Where an applicant qualifies, the final land-use agreement includes a 10-year maintenance commitment for each project. Services can vary across the region.
Eligible properties can be considered for more than one project type, including projects in different places on the same farm. The programme describes assistance through planning, implementation and ongoing tending.
How landowners can enquire
Landowners interested in Durham farmland funding can use the mapping tool linked from the programme’s official website to identify their conservation authority. After completing the online form, they can discuss potential work with that authority.
The programme names the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, Durham Region, conservation partners, Ontario and Canada as funding sources. The October 24 notice does not announce a specific application deadline or a new total funding allocation.
