Launched in 2022, the Weston Family Soil Health Initiative is a five-year, $10 million effort to increase biodiversity and ecological resilience by expanding the adoption of beneficial management practices (BMPs) across Canada’s agricultural lands. The Initiative focuses on practices such as cover cropping, nutrient management (4R principles), and crop diversification/rotation, which improve soil organic matter, enhance water retention, sequester carbon, and make agro-ecosystems more resilient.
Grants have been awarded to eight agricultural and conservation organizations – the University of Guelph, Dalhousie University, Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario, Greenbelt Foundation, Farming Smarter Association, Assiniboine Community College Foundation, The Resilience Institute, and the University of Saskatchewan. These organizations are working to promote soil health BMPs by incentivizing stewardship, supporting outreach and education, and developing market-based approaches to adoption.
Together, these projects are advancing soil health at scale. In just three years, they have:
- Managed 380,000+ acres using soil health BMPs
- Engaged and trained 21,000+ producers in sustainable practices
- Contributed to 25 scientific publications advancing soil health knowledge
- Developed 15 evidence-based tools and resources for use across Canada
These projects demonstrate the power of collaboration in tackling one of Canada’s most urgent environmental challenges – improving soil health to secure a thriving future for both people and nature.
For more information, please refer to the links below: