Grainswest - Spring 2026

Spring 2026 grainswest.com 39 “We hear from producers that these programs are an opportunity, but they’re not working as well as they could.” —Tyler McCann L ong before sustainability became a policy buzzword, farmers worked to protect soil from wind erosion, manage moisture conditions and conserve fuel and other inputs. What’s changed in recent years is the level of public and industry awareness of environmental issues. This has generated a host of funding initiatives directed at conservation, climate and environmental programming in agriculture. Over time, federal and provincial governments have rolled out an ever- growing suite of programs aimed at soil health, biodiversity, water conservation and greenhouse gas reduction. Despite the array of options and attention paid to sustainability, farmer participation remains low. This disconnect is highlighted in two reports published in late 2025 by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI), a national, independent agriculture policy organization. They examine how conservation programs resonate with landowners and why so many farmers are reluctant to participate. The issue isn’t a lack of farmer interest in conservation. It’s that many programs, though well- intentioned, don’t reflect the realities of farming. RESULTS MATTER Matching Conservation Programs to Canadian Farm Realities is based on a national survey of 453 farmers and ranchers across eight provinces, including Alberta. The report offers a farmer perspective of program awareness, adoption and barriers to participation. Its sister report, Perspectives on a New Path Forward: The Future of Conservation Payments , builds on this data through feedback gathered at a multi- stakeholder workshop held in Manitoba that brought together farmers, conservation organizations, researchers and policy- makers. The reports deliver consistent findings. Awareness is low, with just seven per cent of farmers being very familiar with available conservation programs. Just one-third have participated in at least one program. Many initiatives are fragmented, often administered by multiple levels of government or independent groups, sometimes with overlapping goals. While many look good on paper, it’s unclear whether they are effective in the long-term. “We hear from producers that these programs are an opportunity, but they’re not working as well as they could,” said Tyler McCann, managing director of CAPI. These reports arrive at a critical moment as governments prepare to negotiate the next federal-provincial-territorial agriculture policy framework under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (S-CAP). This provides a rare opportunity to rethink the design of conservation programs and whether they can be made more practical for farmers while still delivering environmental outcomes. PRACTICAL PROBLEMS Though the reports note farmer awareness of these programs is very limited, on its own this doesn’t entirely explain their low participation rate. Farmers point to structural barriers. John Kolk farms dryland and irrigated acres near Enchant and serves on the boards of Alberta Pulse Growers and the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute. He’s heavily invested in conservation on his own operation but said some programs simply don’t make sense on the ground. “We’ve participated