When it comes to climate activists and farmers, the story can be a lot like a daytime soap opera. On the one hand there are the farmers who have been stewards of the land for such a long, long time. They’ve got this undeniable, fiery passion for the landscape they call home and for keeping that land healthy for generations to come. Then, enter stage left, there are the environmental activists. You can instantly tell they aren’t farmers, of course, but then, they also have a lot of that same love for the land, even if for different reasons.
So it should all be smooth sailing.
Or maybe not. After all, there’s a disconnect that could heat up lots of dramatic tension, a lot like having rival siblings on screen. Farmers don’t always like being told how to do their job (who does?), and the situation is further complicated by Canada’s striking urban-rural divide. It’s hard to work together when you live in such different worlds; farmers in the countryside, and climate organizations often based in the city.
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Just like the way farmers have not always been receptive to the ideas of climate organizations, climate organizations have historically not always understood the values of farming and the idea that farmers are often price takers rather than makers.
A lot depends on when you begin the back story. A decade ago, or even just five years, those divides were quite striking. In fact, they seemed to define the interaction. But fast-forward to today and there is most definitely hope.
Country Guide wanted to know: what do climate activists think about farmers? Is there the same kind of divide farmers often have with consumers?
So we asked them, and here’s what we found. For example, climate activists at both the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and Environmental Defense Canada (ECDC) are feeling positive about the bridges being built.
So, where are the shared common interests? And where are there gaps the two groups still have to cross?
Finding shared values
There is a lot written about feuds between farmers and climate activists but at the end of the day, it’s undeniable that farmers and climate activists have a lot in common, including the fact they know they’ll be more effective if they work together.
“There’s a lot more alignment between the two communities than there are differences,. and I hope we can keep building on that,” says Keith Brooks, programs director of Environmental Defense Canada.
According to Brooks, it took some time but farmers and climate activists have come a long way and there’s a lot they can work on together. Environmental Defense Canada (EDC) works to facilitate productive conversations with many of Canada’s agriculture groups including Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Christian Farmers and Farmers for Climate Solutions.
At EDC, most members are interested in sustainable food systems, which means they’re interested in supporting their local farmers and driving the charge to eat more locally. Admittedly, for many members, that means a plant-based diet, but Brooks is quick to point out that this is a market that many farmers are cultivating.
Also a connector — both groups want to protect farm land, and as evidence, Brooks points to how farmers and environmental activists worked to protect farmland in Toronto’s greenbelt. Instead of selling to the highest bidders, farmers were focused on protecting their land and keeping it productive. And environmentalists were impressed.
That work to protect farmland from development continues across the country today, often meaning the two groups work together. While it’s not always successful, it often is.
For Kevin Teneycke, a regional vice-president of Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC) in Manitoba, liaising with farmers is a main part of his day-to-day work. Through an agricultural working group at NCC, most of the work they do is on developed land. In much of the country, that means farmland.
For Teneycke, the main shared value that farmers and environmental organizations have to work off of is that aforementioned love for the land and the need to increase biodiversity.
So what does that sharing look like in practice? There are a lot of partnerships that NCC has with farmers including a conservation agreement program that allows their organization to acquire interest in land from private landowners (usually farmers) so the land can be used for conservation projects without the landowner having to sell the rights. That can look like anything from converting the land to native grasses to draining wetlands and many other initiatives. A lot of times it’s just finding ways to increase biodiversity on working farms.
Sometimes it’s just a matter of making the financial case for it. Farmers have a lot to gain from their land being a healthy ecosystem. “Biodiversity conservation can help support agriculture-based economies,” says Teneycke. He notes that thriving pollinator populations and healthy grazing strategies can boost productivity for farmers. Sometimes, it’s mainly a matter of making it practical, and finding other farmers who are finding innovative options.
EDC hosts farm tours to showcase best practices in agricultural sustainability and NCC works with a huge range of farmers from mom-and-pop sized to large-scale, nationally-recognized farm productions.
Perhaps the biggest leap for both EDC and NCC, however, is in their ability to work with agricultural groups. While EDC works closely with OFA, Christian Farmers and Farmers for Climate Solutions, it doesn’t stop there. NCC also works closely with many nationally and provincially recognized livestock councils. It even worked as a founding group on the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef.
“There’s always going to be 10 percent on either end that we (farmers and environmentalists) don’t agree on but we try to focus on that 80 per cent in the middle,” says Teneycke.
Stumbling blocks
Of course, what would this story be without a little tension? While there are clearly many things that the two groups can agree on and goals they can work towards together, there are obviously some tension points.
One of the hardest is this. While EDC and NCC try to work out effective conservation strategies and policies, each is made up of many, many different people with many, many different attitudes and backgrounds.
While most farmers are responsible stewards, some are less so. And while not all climate activists have a closed mind, when it comes to farming, some do.
For EDC, Brooks doesn’t shy away from some things he’d like to see farmers in general work on, but he is clear that he knows many farmers are already thinking and working on these things. Neonicotinoids continue to be a hot-button issue for the two groups. Changes towards protecting water quality in our rivers and lakes are also a flash-point.
EDC’s work with the agricultural community on nutrient loading into Lake Erie, for example is coming along but there’s still work to be done.
Conservation groups say they are trying to see both sides. “The farming community polices itself too from what I understand and will flag people if they think somebody is doing something problematic but there’s still a challenge that there are too many nutrients getting into Lake Erie every year,” says Brooks on the matter.
For NCC, in general, it’s a sign that relationships are maturing and can continue to improve. So, for instance, when Teneycke is prodded on the question of what has historically made it difficult for the two groups to work together, his response is simple:
“Relationships hadn’t matured and there was a lack of understanding,” he says. “There was this idea that conservation associations were anti-farm but it’s not either/or. Some of that comes from the organizations themselves realizing that the job is too big to be done alone.”
On the next episode…
So, what’s the take away? It’s safe to say there is a lot more common ground between climate organizations and farmers than perhaps was thought. Canada’s climate organizations seem not just open but itching to work closely with farmers. The question is, where can farmers start?
At NCC, they’re encouraged by signs farmers are developing and adopting sustainable practices that are good for the farm and for the environment. They’re also impressed by farmers who are focused on biodiversity on their farms.
What else would the environmental groups like to see so they will be convinced farmers and conservationists can be allies, not opponents? Brooks and Teneycke encourage farmers to make sure their neighbours and their industry colleagues know that they support climate initiatives, both at the private and at government levels.
The more unified and vocal they are, the more farmers and conservationists can accomplish together, the two say.
For EDC, Brooks suggests farmers get in touch with groups like Farmers for Climate Solutions to see what kinds of programs they can get involved in on their own farms. There are loads of programs and tools available to learn about manure management, reducing neonicotinoids and if financially possible for the farmer, to look at renewable energy sources. Furthermore, the more farmers speak up about land-use planning and how it affects the rapidly reducing farmland in Canada, the more the two groups will be able to work together.
The future won’t always be easy. Farmers and climate activists will inevitably bump heads along the way. But in a country where agriculture is so poorly understood, there’s a glimmer of hope.
– This article was originally published as ‘Best friends’ in the March 29, 2022 issue of Country Guide.
