In outdoor crop production, 85% of growers report using crop scouting and pest monitoring to target crop protection applications only as needed, 80% are using soil test results to guide more precise fertilizer application, and 78% are planting cover crops to keep the soil healthy and support carbon capture.
The study also found that growers are willing to continue making changes and that addressing broader industry issues around competitiveness, taxation, red tape and regulatory burdens combined with incentive initiatives will make it easier for growers to expand their adoption of sustainable practices.
“We’ve made tremendous progress in the last two decades, and growers are willing to do more, but farms need to also be financially viable, which includes a streamlined regulatory environment, financial investments and the consumer support,” adds greenhouse grower Jan VanderHout, Chair of the OFVGA Environment and Conservation committee. “Fruit and vegetable production is an essential pillar of our local food system and it’s critical to Canada’s national security that we do everything we can to preserve and protect our ability to grow healthy, safe and sustainable produce.”
The study was completed over the last year by Vineland Research and Innovation Centre and involved a combination of surveys and in-depth interviews with growers from across Ontario’s fruit and vegetable sector.
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