New Program to Offer Incentive for Coverting Land to More Biodiverse State

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) and Ducks Unlimited Canada have combined on a new partnership that will offer producers a further financial incentive for converting unproductive cropland into a more biodiverse state. 

An FCC release Friday said the new incentive program will complement Ducks Unlimited’s Marginal Areas Program, which targets areas that are unproductive due to poor drainage, soil conditions, periodic flooding, inaccessibility, or salinity. 

Under the Marginal Areas Program, Ducks Unlimited offers an incentive upfront through a 10-year agreement to assist producers with the cost of establishing perennials to help alleviate the financial burden associated with the management of unproductive land. 

With the new partnership, FCC customers who are participating in the Marginal Areas Program can now receive an incentive payment, in addition to the support from Ducks Unlimited, based on a percentage of their total owing with FCC, capped at a maximum payment of $2,000 or $50/acre of enrolled acres. 

“This incentive program is an opportunity for producers to provide natural habitats for wildlife and enhance biodiversity responsibly,” said Curtis Grainger, FCC director of sustainability programs. “We hope to encourage seeding marginal areas that are unproductive to perennials, helping to improve profitability, pollinator habitat and act as buffer zones.” 

By sustainably managing areas with unproductive cropland through the program, producers are financially incentivized to contribute to environmental enhancements, “which positively impact biodiversity while offering a solution to local land management challenges,” the FCC release said