Pontiac agriculture: driven by collaboration and community
Bonnie James
Local Journalism Initiative
L’ISLE-AUX-ALLUMETTES – The third and final Agriculture Zone Development Plan (PDZA) forum was held at the Chapeau Farmers Market building, September 10.
Renewed every five years, the PDZA is a planning tool created by the MRC and local stakeholders to guide local agricultural development. The plan examines the state of
agriculture, identifies opportunities and challenges, and then creates several foundational
projects based on priorities identified.
The purpose of the third forum was to present the final projects and gather feedback. Shanna Armstrong, MRC economic development commissioner for agriculture, and Samuel Comtois of Groupe Pleine Terre presented the projects and explained the process, which included two previous forums and workshops.
“My goal is for the PDZA to be very collaborative. I want it to be something of value to
producers, not just a plan that will sit on a shelf. I want producers to feel involved,” said Armstrong.
The first forum in November 2023 invited local producers to explain the current state of agriculture in the Pontiac; identify strengths, weaknesses, and challenges; and express their vision for the future.
Workshops were then held in February 2024 to work on solutions for the four themes identified in the first forum: local agriculture; agritourism; support, succession, and community; and traditional sectors.
The second forum, held in April, focused on developing projects from the solutions presented and identifying what could be addressed at the local government level.
The following six foundational projects emerged from the process:
1. Regional attractiveness for agricultural entrepreneurship and access to land.
This project aims to implement a strategy to ensure the sustainability of agricultural businesses and start-up projects by linking local players around existing initiatives and regional assets.
Goals: reduce underused land, facilitate access to land for succession and start-up projects, and promote business start-ups and the diversification of existing businesses.
2. AgroHub of Services
This project creates a hub to offer, attract, and retain first-line services essential to agricultural businesses, in addition to pooling needs to implement collective infrastructures to develop regional sectors (cattle, grain, hay, etc.) and promote a circular economy. Goals: improve business profitability, provide access to services and inputs, increase the number and sustainability of local agricultural businesses, and create local jobs.
3. AgriSaveur
This project sets up AgriSaveur, a food processing centre for Pontiac agricultural production, located at the Shawville abattoir, expected to return to operation by January 2025. AgriSaveur aims to increase and facilitate local agri-food processing and the profitability of Pontiac farm businesses, and promote Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) transactions.
4. Educate the public about agriculture and its trades
This project implements various initiatives to educate the public about the region’s agricultural realities and raises local awareness of various related trades and their potential. Goals: promote the development of young farmers, agricultural relief, and a specialized workforce; and increase the public’s understanding of agriculture.
5. Proximity marketing
This project includes collective actions to encourage the sale and recognition of the MRC’s agri-food products and businesses. Goals: better visibility for local agricultural products and
businesses; more networking and sharing between partners and farmers involved in local sales; reducing marketing burdens on producers; and increased revenue for
farm businesses using the MRC’s local distribution network.
6. Support for environmental initiatives
This project supports the various initiatives and organizations working on the territory in the fields of environment and adaptation to climate change. Goals: make agricultural businesses and the territory more resilient to climate change and increase the effectiveness of environmental initiatives implemented locally.
All projects are expected to be completed over the next five years.
