The agriculture producer groups of the Peace Region are very pleased to announce that the proposal to have a Living Lab in the Peace Region has been approved. Funding for this project has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Agricultural Climate Solutions – Living Lab program. The Peace region Living Lab will receive funds totalling $5,957,119 for a project that will span the Alberta and BC Peace Region over the next five years.
The Living Labs initiative brings together farmers and ranchers with scientists and commodity groups in our agricultural community to come up with ideas as best management practices (BMPs) aimed at solving climate change challenges; it is an innovation project supported by research. A Living Lab is a unique approach to problem solving as it focuses on producers’ needs and testing takes place on farms and ranches with producers making the decisions and driving the process. The Peace Region Forage Seed Association is the lead organization of the project, which also includes eight other Peace Region producer groups: Peace River Forage Association of BC, Northern Co-Hort/NEAT, BC Grain Producers Association, Fourth Sister Farm, North Peace Applied Research Association, Mackenzie Applied Research Association, SARDA Ag Research and the Peace Country Beef & Forage Association.
This Living Lab is unique in that it will encompass the Peace Country in both Alberta and BC. Peace Region producers face similar challenges and the opportunity to connect cross commodity producers and organizations will create a stronger network of knowledge, communication channels and the sharing of resources.
Enhancing agroecosystem services in the Peace River Region is the focus of the Peace Living Lab, with the goal of developing and testing best management practices at a local level. The project will look at agricultural operations as whole systems, considering land management, economic analysis and the social aspect of implementing innovative practices. Practices that will be tested on Peace Region farms and ranches include intercropping, cover cropping, vermicomposting, lime applications and rotational grazing, to name a few.
A core group of approximately 60 innovative producers from across the region has been
invited to host sites for the Living Lab, and these sites will be observed and monitored over
the next 5 years for things such as:
● Carbon sequestration
● Greenhouse gas emissions
● Environmental co-benefits such as water infiltration rates, soil health parameters and
species diversity both above and below-ground
● Socioeconomic factors relating to these practices
These sites and farms will be the center of learning and observation for producers as well as scientists and local ag experts. There will be many opportunities for the community to visit these sites, be part of field days and even some of the data collection. A core goal of the Peace Region Living Lab is to engage with as many producers as possible and get input on the adoption of practices thought to contribute to climate mitigation. The Living Lab has already developed a strong network of scientists and agrologists to be part of the project, to learn alongside producers, to offer their problem solving skills and to share their knowledge.
Knowledge transfer and exchange is a top priority of the Peace Region Living Lab. A key focus will be on peer-to-peer learning and bringing together producers at different stages of adoption; a network will be created that brings together early adopters and those who are more hesitant to try new things. Knowledge exchange will occur not only between producers, but between producers and the whole agriculture community including researchers in government, at academic institutions and within our applied research and forage associations.
Watch for the many exciting events and opportunities that the Peace Region Living Lab will bring to the region in the coming months!
Media inquiries can be directed to:
Nadia Mori, Peace Region Living Lab Extension Coordinator
extension@peacelivinglabs.ca | 250-263-8802
