ALUS in Alberta

ALUS Canada is a community-led, farmer-delivered program that supports stewardship activities on agricultural lands. With the generous support of The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, ALUS programs are established in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Island—where it is run by the Province. In all ALUS communities, farmers and ranchers obtain support to enable them to produce valuable ecological goods and services on their lands, via such activities as establishing or restoring wetlands, flood mitigation, carbon sequestration, creating wildlife habitat such as native Prairie pollinator strips, and more. The County of Vermilion River adopted ALUS in 2010 as a means to address the loss of wetlands and other conservation issues associated with land-use changes in the area. Parkland County and Red Deer County quickly followed suit. Ten provincial municipalities have now adopted the ALUS program, with many more having expressed interest in joining this pioneering network. Together, Alberta’s ALUS communities are bridging the gap between environmental and agricultural activities by building a network of farmers and ranchers to lead conservation efforts throughout the province, while ALUS Canada is establishing a market for the eco-services produced by these dedicated ALUS farmers.