Alternative Land Use Services Program
Highlights
The Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) Program is designed specifically for farmers and farmland owners like you. This program offers financial assistance through a multi-year land use agreement, providing annual payments for adopting and maintaining beneficial management practices (BMPs). By participating, you can convert environmentally sensitive land into biodiverse, carbon-sequestering landscapes, which helps in reducing soil erosion, improving air and water quality, and enhancing wildlife habitats.
Why should you apply?
- Annual Payments: Receive consistent financial support for maintaining BMPs.
- Environmental Impact: Improve your land's resilience and contribute to ecological conservation.
- Support for Diverse Activities: From planting trees and shrubs to establishing pollinator habitats, the program covers a wide range of beneficial activities.
What's in it for you?
- Financial Stability: Secure funding to support sustainable farming practices.
- Enhanced Land Value: Improve the ecological and economic value of your farmland.
- Easy Qualification: The program is tailored for agricultural landowners and producers, making it straightforward to qualify.
Participating in the ALUS program not only benefits your business financially but also contributes to a healthier environment, ensuring long-term sustainability for your farming operations.
Financing Details
Type of Financing:
- Grant: This program offers financial assistance in the form of a grant.
Repayment Terms and Interest Rates:
- No Repayment Required: As this is a grant, there are no repayment terms or interest rates.
Eligible Expenses:
- Conversion of Cropland: Costs associated with converting marginal or high-risk croplands into biodiverse, perennial landscapes.
- Soil Conservation: Expenses for maintaining land under soil conservation structures.
- Livestock Exclusion: Costs to exclude livestock from watercourses and wetlands.
- Pollinator Habitats: Establishing and maintaining habitats for pollinators and beneficial insects.
- Tree and Shrub Planting: Planting trees and shrubs on ALUS-retired lands.
- Forage Management: Delaying cutting and harvesting of grass in forage fields and deferring grazing in pastures until after July 15th each year.
- Agroforestry Systems: Establishing and maintaining innovative agroforestry systems.
- Enhancing ALUS Features: Avoiding conversion and enhancing management of previously enrolled ALUS features.
Ineligible Expenses:
- Non-Environmental Projects: Funds cannot be used for projects that do not contribute to environmental conservation or regeneration.
- Non-Agricultural Activities: Expenses unrelated to agricultural land use or management.
Fees:
- No Fees: There are no fees associated with applying for or receiving this grant.
Qualifications
- Must be a Mi’kmaq First Nation or other Indigenous group, agricultural landowner, or agricultural producer.
- Must be involved in converting marginal or high-risk croplands that have been in annual production since 2015 into biodiverse, perennial, carbon-sequestering landscapes.
- Must be maintaining land under soil conservation structures or natural hollows left as permanent grass.
- Must be excluding livestock from watercourses and wetlands.
- Must be establishing and maintaining habitat and nectar sources for pollinators and other beneficial insects.
- Must be planting trees and shrubs on ALUS-retired lands.
- Must be delaying cutting and harvesting of grass in forage fields, and deferring grazing of forages in pastures, until after July 15th of each year.
- Must be establishing and maintaining innovative agroforestry systems.
Must be avoiding conversion and enhancing management of previously enrolled ALUS features.
Disqualifications:
- Businesses not involved in agriculture.
- Businesses not located in Prince Edward Island.
- Businesses not converting or maintaining eligible lands as specified.
Description
This program offers your business financial support to help conserve and regenerate agricultural landscapes. You can receive annual payments through a multi-year land use agreement. This funding helps you adopt and maintain beneficial management practices (BMPs) on your land.
What can the money be used for?
- Converting croplands into biodiverse, perennial landscapes.
- Expanding buffer zones.
- Maintaining soil conservation structures.
- Excluding livestock from watercourses and wetlands.
- Planting trees and shrubs.
- Establishing habitats for pollinators and beneficial insects.
Why is this beneficial to you?
- Improve soil quality and reduce erosion.
- Enhance air and water quality on your land.
- Boost biodiversity and wildlife habitats.
- Sequester carbon, contributing to climate resilience.
This program is a joint effort by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action. It provides a great opportunity to make your agricultural practices more sustainable while receiving financial support.
Program Steps
Complete the Application Form:
- Fill out the general application form with your contact information, business details, and additional sources of project funding.
- Indicate your recipient type (e.g., primary producer, agricultural landowner, processor) and type of industry (e.g., dairy, potato, beef, hog, grains, and oilseeds).
Prepare Required Documentation:
- Gather the following documents:
- Applicant contact information
- Business or organization information, including CRA registration number
- Partnership information (if applicable)
- Additional sources of project funding
- Signature for declaration and consent to personal information
- Demographic information (optional)
- Gather the following documents:
Provide ALUS Project Details:
- For new ALUS participants:
- Complete Appendix A: ALUS New Feature Enrollment to enroll properties in the ALUS program. Indicate whether properties are leased or owned.
- For existing ALUS participants:
- Complete the ALUS Feature Renewal Appendix (specific to you and sent to you by mail) to re-enroll existing ALUS features. Indicate whether you want to re-enroll it in ALUS and whether you’d like to enhance the feature to manage for greater biodiversity or have trees and shrubs planted.
- Complete Appendix A: ALUS New Feature Enrollment to enroll new properties in the ALUS program or to add new ALUS features to properties already enrolled in the program.
- For new ALUS participants:
Review Program Guidelines:
- Ensure you have reviewed the Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) Program Guidelines to understand the program and funding criteria.
Submit the Application:
- Once all forms and documentation are completed, submit your application to the PEI Department of Agriculture.
Contact for Assistance:
- If you have any questions or need further assistance, contact the PEI Department of Agriculture at:
- Address: 11 Kent Street, PO Box 2000, Charlottetown PE C1A 7N8
- Telephone: (902) 368-4880
- Email: [email protected]
- If you have any questions or need further assistance, contact the PEI Department of Agriculture at:
