Ongoing
We must rethink our agricultural practices and what we grow in Quebec in order to increase our food autonomy.
Farmers need to see that there are stable, profitable opportunities in Quebec for new local crops to help reassure them that taking on a new crop will be worth it.
According to Eat-Lancet, to be able to feed the world population, which will reach 10 billion by 2050, it is essential that we adopt healthy diets that respect the limits of the planet's ecosystems. There are solutions in agriculture to feed the population in a healthy and sustainable way.
Growing grains and pulses for human consumption, such as dry beans, has regenerative effects on our agricultural soil and provides local sources of protein and nutrients.
The food services at Quebec institutions are an important market for these legumes, as they provide a large number of meals every day, which can be packed with plant protein and whole grains.
“ The plant protein market is growing, creating a favourable context for farmers, who are benefiting from adding grains and pulses for human consumption to their rotations, and for institutions, who can add them to their menus. ”
As part of the Bean Project, Équiterre is working with institutions, farmers and producers throughout the supply chain, in order to facilitate:
the creation of supply networks;
meetings between stakeholders;
farm tours;
activities that raise awareness about local field crops.
Support tools are also made available to institutions and producers to help them better understand the issues surrounding the transition to a system that promotes healthy eating and regenerative agriculture for biodiversity, the local economy and the climate. These include:
a web page; profiles of a farmer and an institution participating in the project; webinars; an informational guide produced at the end of the project.
At the same time, through the Commun’Assiette project, Équiterre is working with institutions in education, post-secondary and health and social services networks to help them overcome the barriers to introducing local foods, such as dried beans, into their menus and kitchen practices. We are also working closely with intermediaries in the supply chain (grain hubs, processors, and distributors), to support development of the marketing chain and help meet the targets for purchasing Quebec-produced food that are contained in the Stratégie nationale d'achat d'aliments québécois (SNAAQ).
Since 2023, Équiterre has been facilitating the Bean Project to help farmers integrate beans and cover crops into their crop rotations for better soil health, in addition to offering opportunities to sell these crops to Quebec institutional food services.
Équiterre and Coordination Services-Conseils launched the Vitrines en santé et conservation des sols project to help farmers become more resilient towards the impacts of climate change, by adopting good soil health practices.
Équiterre undertook a number of actions that led to the adoption of Quebec's Plan d’agriculture durable (PAD), including presenting a brief to the Commission de l'agriculture, des pêcheries, de l'énergie et des ressources naturelles (CAPERN) when it was examining the impacts of pesticides on public health and the environment, as well as innovative alternative practices.
Équiterre refocused its agricultural strategy to concentrate on accelerating the transition to a type of agriculture that regenerates soil health.
Équiterre took part in the consultations that led to implementation of Quebec’s 2018-2025 bio-food policy.
For over 20 years, Équiterre has been implementing projects to help institutions accelerate their transition to best practices in sustainable food.
Analyst in Sustainable Agriculture
oflamandlapointe@equiterre.org
Sustainable Food Procurement Project Manager
