Today, while visiting the Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced the creation of a new living lab in Prince Edward Island (PEI). The announcement was made alongside Heath MacDonald, Member of Parliament for Malpeque, and Bobby Morrissey, Member of Parliament for Egmont. Led by the East Prince Agri-Environment Association (EPAA), this living lab project represents an investment of up to $4.5 million over five years from the federal government under the Agricultural Climate Solutions (ACS) - Living Labs program.
This living lab aims to accelerate the sector's response to climate change by bringing together producers and scientists, among others, to co-develop, test and evaluate on-farm beneficial management practices (BMPs) on multiple sites across the province. These BMPs - featuring the addition of kelp in diets of cattle, rotational grazing, hedgerows, edge-of-field wetlands, and more - will help store carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on island farms. In collaboration with partner organizations within the living lab, the EPAA will also encourage knowledge transfer and exchange between local producers, producer associations, federal and provincial researchers, Indigenous groups, and other sector stakeholders.
Building on the success of the Living Laboratories Initiative that ran in PEI, Manitoba, Quebec, and Ontario from 2019 until March 2023, the Agricultural Climate Solutions - Living Labs program seeks to strengthen the sustainability of PEI's agricultural sector by co-developing and testing new ideas in real-world conditions. This Canadian model has received international acclaim and inspired similar initiatives in other countries around the world.
The new living lab announced today adds to projects launched earlier this year in Quebec and Ontario and the nine launched in 2022. With this announcement, the ACS - Living Labs program is on track to have at least one living lab in every province.
Working together with the sector, Canada continues to lead on this collaborative approach to agricultural innovation aiming to feed the world through sustainable farming practices.
