(Submitted photo/Ducks Unlimited)

By Alice McFarlane

Making use of unproductive land

Ducks Unlimited and PepsiCo collaborate on incentive programs for farmers

May 15, 2024 | 3:00 PM

A program that gives new life to unproductive farmland is getting an added boost from Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and PepsiCo.

The Farm Credit Canada Sustainability Incentive Program encourages sustainable farming practices while supporting nature.

PepsiCo will provide financial support to eligible producers based in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba who commit to planting perennial forage on unproductive cropland to improve biodiversity. Support will equal 50 per cent of the total payment producers receive on behalf of FCC’s program, up to a $1,000 per application.

Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Marginal Areas Program offers a solution for Canadian farmland that that is unproductive because of poor drainage, soil conditions, periodic flooding, inaccessibility, or salinity.

In the past, DUC has offered participating producers a 10-year agreement to assist with the cost of establishing perennials while easing the financial burden associated with land management challenges.

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DUC National Manager of Sustainability Paul Thoroughgood said the response from producer partners who have already taken advantage of the partnership with FCC has been encouraging.

“Now with PepsiCo at the table, we can support even more farmers across the Prairies, recognizing them for the positive impacts they have on the landscape by providing even more incentives,” he said.

FCC participants who also take part in DUC’s Marginal Areas Program will be eligible to receive an incentive payment based on a percentage of their total borrowings, up to a maximum payment of $2,000 or $50/acre of enrolled acres.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @farmnewsNOW