The EG&S Policy Development Process
In 2005, federal and provincial and territorial officials came together to study EG&S policy for the Canadian agricultural landscape. A federal/provincial working group was formed to study the issues around EG&S and they developed a work plan which included the following projects:
- 2006 National Symposium on EG&S
A national symposium contributing to policy development for Ecological Goods and Services (EG&S) was held in Winnipeg in February 2006. The symposium brought together some 200 Canadian stakeholders from farm organizations, governments, academia, practitioners and environmental non-government organizations. They discussed and promoted a common understanding of what a Canadian EG&S approach involves. Speakers from Australia, the United States, United Kingdom, France and the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) shared their insights and experiences with EG&S.
The symposium was co-hosted by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Government of Manitoba in cooperation with Environment Canada.
- Pilot projects funded by ACAAF to be completed by 2009.
Eight pilot projects were approved for funding by the Fed/Prov working group on EG&S. These projects offer the opportunity to test different approaches to EG&S programming in different circumstances and will help AAFC and its provincial partners build common understanding necessary in order to develop effective policies.
- Cost-benefit analysis of potential EG&S options
The overall objective of this study is to assess the costs and benefits of EG&S policy options for consideration by Ministers. This input will contribute to discussions of the next generation of agricultural programming in Canada.
The study will build on existing work on EG&S, particularly the OECD framework on multifunctionality, which provides a framework for evaluating government policies that enhance environmental benefits. It will examine a range of policies that can apply to working agricultural lands.
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Lessons learned from International experts (coming soon)
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Policy research papers and presentations