Healthy soil, clean water and thriving ecosystems are vital for growing crops and keeping farms prosperous for generations to come. For that reason, farmers take pride in using sustainable crop protection practices that help protect their land, while ensuring the harvest of safe, high-quality fruits and vegetables that Canadians love.
Important crop protection products, like pesticides and herbicides, play a crucial role in this system and are carefully studied and monitored before they’re approved for use in Canada. But on-farm sustainability can be seen well beyond these regulations. Today’s farmers are combining new technology with long-used practices to reduce environmental impact and maintain a reliable, sustainable food supply.
Whether it’s a high-tech sprayer in a potato field or a pheromone trap in an apple orchard, these practices help grow the local food we love, while keeping the planet healthy.
Clear standards for crop protection products
In Canada, all crop protection products undergo a strict review process by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA). This ensures that any product used in the field has been thoroughly evaluated for the safety of both people and the environment.
Environmental risk assessments conducted by PMRA evaluate how products break down, how they move through soil, air or water and their potential impacts on non-target species like bees, fish or birds. This process provides a high level of confidence among both the users of these products and the public, that the environment will not be harmed from their use.
While regulations are essential, there’s also a need to ensure farmers have timely access to effective tools, like pesticides and herbicides. Under the current system, the PMRA review process can be exceedingly lengthy, sometimes leaving fruit and vegetable growers at-risk to diseases and pests that can wipe out an entire year’s worth of crop.
On-farm practices
Regulations set by the PMRA provide a baseline for farmers, but the fields, orchards and vineyards are where the best examples of sustainable crop protection are seen. Integrated pest management (IPM) is a common standard, and something that farmers have actively been doing for decades.
IPM is a comprehensive approach that combines multiple methods to keep pests in check, reduce the need for pesticides and protect beneficial species.
Common IPM practices include:
- Rotating crops to break pest cycles
- Choosing pest or disease-resistant crop varieties
- Introducing beneficial insects
- Monitoring fields regularly to spot problems early
- Using physical items like pheromone traps or barriers
In apple orchards, for example, growers often monitor for codling moth populations using traps to capture the common pest. If the level of moths continues to rise, they may go a step further using mating disruption devices containing pheromones or applying a naturally occurring virus that only affects the pest.
Evolving technology has also become a large part of pest management. Smart sprayers now use sensors to target only plants that need treatment, cutting down on costs and the need to spray entire fields with pesticides. Drones and satellites also allow growers to monitor crop health by spotting pest or disease issues early. Soil moisture sensors, GPS-guided equipment and automated irrigation systems are also helping limit potential threats to crops.
Government investment in these new technologies would offer support for growers who are already doing a lot to meet the high but important standards that are in place.
Financial sustainability matters too
Sustainable farming isn’t just about environmental responsibility – it must make financial sense. Farming is a business, and farmers need to make decisions that keep their operations making money to be able to support their employees and families.
Investing in new technology or switching to more environmentally friendly products often comes with higher upfront costs. Training, maintenance and system upgrades can be expensive, and not every operation can afford to make the leap right away.
That’s why financial sustainability must go hand-in-hand with environmental sustainability. Farmers are willing to adopt better practices, but they need strategies that are both effective and affordable.
A balanced path forward
Sustainable crop protection is about striking a balance – taking care of our environment while ensuring that farmers can continue growing the food we rely on right here at home. While practices like integrated pest management and new technology play a key role, pesticides and herbicides remain essential for protecting crops safely.
Ontario’s farmers use these products responsibly to keep crops healthy, reduce the spread of pests and diseases and ultimately ensure we have access to safe, nutritious food grown locally. It’s all about using the right tools at the right time to protect both our environment and our food security.
For more information, visit ofvga.org.