Ongoing
Every piece of land counts
Feeding Quebec today and tomorrow
The issues
We are currently witnessing a massive loss of farmland as well as insufficient support for the farmers who try to take care of it. Our food security, and more importantly that of our children, is at risk.
The stats are alarming. More than 61,000 hectares of farmland have disappeared in the last 25 years. Every day, we’re losing the equivalent of 45 hockey rinks.
This is an urgent problem that must be addressed by the government.
We must protect our farmland and support the farmers who help ensure our collective food supply.
Cultivable land is a rare and strategic resource
2%
Despite the vast amount of land in the province of Quebec, barely 2% of it is cultivable and can therefore be used to grow food to nourish us.
There should be no concessions when it comes to preserving our food supply
- 2 % Less than 6.3 million of Quebec’s 134.5 million hectares (or 5%) is zoned for agriculture, but our cultivable soil actually accounts for less than 2% of Quebec’s entire land mass. In comparison, 58% of France is zoned for agriculture, and 45% of the United States.
- Source: Commission de protection du territoire agricole du Québec
- 10 X The price for agricultural land is 10 times higher than it was 25 years ago, making it a lot harder for a new generation of farmers to access land.
- Source: Farm Credit Canada
The opportunity
We must ensure that our cultivable land is used for its core function - to feed us. But until there is consistent political action to do so, the destruction of our province’s farmland will continue.
The government has the power to protect Quebec’s agricultural land and activities from the many threats jeopardizing our food autonomy and security. It’s time to act.
In 2023, Équiterre, the Fédération de la relève agricole du Québec (FRAQ), the Coopérative pour l’Agriculture de Proximité Écologique (CAPÉ), Protec-Terre and Vivre en Ville joined forces to launch the Alliance SaluTERRE in order to protect Quebec’s agricultural land and activities.
We must demand that the Premier, as well as the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Minister of Municipal Affairs, put forward concrete, positive solutions to halt the erosion of Quebec’s farmland.
Take action
Related content
Équipe
Partenaires
Équiterre, la Fédération de la relève agricole du Québec (FRAQ), la Coopérative pour l’Agriculture de Proximité Écologique (CAPÉ), Protec-Terre et Vivre en Ville ont joint leurs forces pour lancer l’Alliance SaluTERRE dans le but de protéger les terres et les activités agricoles du Québec des nombreuses menaces qui mettent en danger notre autonomie et notre sécurité alimentaire.
