Bishop’s researchers will contribute in the creation of the Réseau québécois de recherche en agriculture durable

On October 8, 2021, the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT), along with its partner the ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation (MAPAQ) announced the creation of the Réseau québécois de recherche en agriculture durable (RQRAD), a flagship measure of the Plan d’agriculture durable 2020-2030 (PAD).

Coordinated by four co-holders (from UdeM, ULaval, INRS and McGill) with widely recognized expertise in sustainable agriculture, the creation of RQRAD is rooted in the government’s commitment to focus on agriculture to produce high quality food in an environmentally responsible manner. The RQRAD will make a key contribution to the work and efforts in this area. This grant of $2.5 million over five years follows a call for proposals issued last April.

The RQRAD’s programming is based on four research axes that allow the pooling of forces committed to accelerating the development of knowledge related to soil health and conservation and the reduction of pesticide use in a context of climate change. Digital tools, precision agriculture and massive data as well as socio-economic aspects are also integral parts of the network’s programming.

Bringing together over 200 researchers from 15 universities, five college technology transfer centers and several provincial and federal research centers, the RQRAD will ensure concerted and coordinated efforts in the area of sustainable agriculture in order to guarantee that the research produced is well aligned with the knowledge needs of the user communities concerned.

Six of those 200 researchers are Bishop’s faculty members: Dr. Darren Bardati, Dr. Jane Morrison, Dr. Bryan Dale and Dr. Mirella Aoun of the Department of Environment and Geography, and Dr. Jade Savage and Dr. Patrick Bergeron from the Department of Biological Sciences. Dr. Morrison is the assistant co-holder of the second axis of the project (Axis 2: Conservation and restoration of the health of agricultural soils, natural environments and biodiversity). Having six Bishop’s-based researchers involved in this Quebec-wide research network allows our University to be an important actor in Sustainable Agriculture research, especially as we develop our new Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS) programs. We look forward to working collaboratively with colleagues across the province to find creative solutions for our agricultural sustainability challenges, says Dr. Darren Bardati, Chair of the Department of Environment and Geography.

Photo: Tim Doherty