One of the AEPA's most important roles is to provide agriculture's viewpoints in the development of policies and programs to encourage a vibrant, profitable agriculture industry and a healthy, sustainable environment.

Early in 2010, the Board updated the AEPA's strategic priorities, establishing three top priorities for 2010-2012. The Board and the AEPA teams made important steps forward on those three priorities in 2010.

Priority 1: The agriculture industry is a credible partner and engaged in land-use decision-making processes, and is able to be responsive to critical short-term policy priorities.

Highlights

• LUF Awareness: A series of four news articles were developed for crop and livestock producers about the importance of LUF to agriculture, how producers may be impacted, and why they should participate in LUF consultations. The first article was released in December 2010. As well, a backgrounder called Agriculture in Alberta’s Landscapes: The Agri-Environmental Partnership of Alberta’s Backgrounder for Agricultural Participants in Land Use Planning was released in the fall.
• AEPA Water Workshop: This workshop for the agricultural community was held on November 9 in Red Deer. The 74 attendees learned about water policy issues related to LUF and other planning processes in Alberta. The presentations identified challenges for agriculture like water quality thresholds, water allocation, and Alberta’s draft wetland policy.

Priority 2: Provide input to a policy environment that will help the agriculture industry achieve environmental outcomes through innovation and new business models.

Highlights

• Increased Understanding: The BRM Project Team’s investigations and discussions enhanced understanding among the Team members, Board members and commodity groups about the important concerns and varied perspectives related to linking environmental outcomes to BRM programs.
• Towards Continuous Improvement: At the conclusion of the Project Team’s work, the members provided feedback on their learnings to help improve AEPA processes in the future.

Priority 3: AEPA will engage and build capacity with its industry partners so that the agriculture industry is a credible partner in agri-environmental policy decisions.

Highlights

• Agri-Environmental Forum: The AEPA holds an annual Agri-Environmental Forum – or ‘AgForum’ – for people involved in the AEPA and its member organizations who want to learn more about agri-environmental policy issues. The aim of the March 2010 AgForum was to increase understanding of potential LUF impacts on agriculture. Presentations covered such topics as fragmentation and conversion of agricultural land, cumulative effects management, and market-based approaches to encouraging environmental stewardship.
• Consultation on Draft Wetland Policy: AEPA representatives provided input on Alberta Environment’s draft wetland policy at two consultation sessions in 2010. The sessions were to test the overall intent and direction of the draft policy; the details of the policy are still under development. Some of agriculture’s key considerations as the policy develops are: what the baseline and targets will be for wetland restoration since much of the focus will likely be on restoring wetlands on farmland; and how producers will be compensated for any negative impact on their ability to operate.
• Information Sharing: The AEPA members continued to dialogue with representatives from a variety of organizations such as: Agriculture Financial Services Corporation, AI Bio-Solutions, and the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute. The AEPA continued to keep the lines of communication open between all levels of government. Presentations kept the AEPA up-to-date on the latest government policies within Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Alberta Environment, and the Land Use Secretariat. Additionally the AEPA’s partners continued to build stronger relationships at the Board table and share their initiatives and learnings with one another.