Member Spotlight: Agri-Environmental Partnership of Alberta (AEPA)

The Agri-Environmental Partnership of Alberta, established in 2007, is an industry-government co-lead group that works together to proactively address agri-environmental issues from a policy perspective. AEPA facilitates collaboration between the provincial government and the agricultural industry to identify and address environmental challenges and opportunities that influence the sustainability of primary production in Alberta.

Members include:

• 20+ agricultural commodity organizations

• Three levels of government (municipal, provincial and federal)

• Two environmental non-governmental organizations

Alberta Grains is a long-standing member of AEPA, which provides an avenue to offer timely policy feedback to government on topics such as: long-term water management planning, climate change adaptation and resilience, public perception of agriculture and land-use planning. Dean Hubbard, a director of Alberta Grains and farmer from Claresholm, is the current industry co-chair for AEPA.

Shannon Sereda, director of government relations, policy & markets at Alberta Grains, had this to say about the partnership:

“The Agri-Environmental Partnership of Alberta is more important than ever, as agri-environmental policy issues become more and more central to those that have a significant impact at the farm gate. AEPA provides farmers, and the groups that represent them, like Alberta Grains, the opportunity to regularly connect with multiple levels of government across ministries, to ensure that the sustainable practices, challenges and opportunities for farmers are well understood in the agri-environmental policy and program development process.”

Being involved in AEPA is a powerful connection point with government to ensure that the impacts of agricultural related policies that seek environmental outcomes can be considered by farmers in order to mitigate unintended consequences or negative impacts on farms and their economic contributions to Alberta communities.

Current Projects

The South Saskatchewan Regional Plan (SSRP), a land-use framework first published in 2014, provides direction for the orderly development and growth of the South Saskatchewan region, which extends from the Rocky Mountains to the west to the Canada-U.S. border to the south, the Alberta-Saskatchewan border to the east and just north of Calgary. To prepare AEPA members for the upcoming review, workshops are being developed to ensure they are well-informed and ready to contribute effectively. Additionally, AEPA is facilitating feedback on other initiatives, such as the Alberta Wetlands Stewardship and Water Monitoring Project, and the Well Site Reduction Pilot. These projects are crucial for addressing environmental challenges in Alberta’s agricultural sector and supporting the economic growth of the sector with the SSRP.

For more information visit the AEPA Website.

Image: At the Food Processing Development Centre in Leduc, the Government of Alberta provides support for the growth and commercialization of Albertan food, beverage and ingredient manufacturing companies.