OVERVIEW
Connecting People, Solutions, and Innovations (CPSI) is a four-year program to strengthen trust between rural agricultural producers and urban consumers who both rely on the same watershed. The Oldman watershed is home to agricultural producers solving problems and leading innovations to benefit both the economy and the environment. With renewed funding from the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, CPSI aims to celebrate innovation, stewardship, and shared success, fostering understanding and trust of southern Alberta’s agricultural landscape.
WHAT'S BEING DONE
CPSI builds on the success of the Oldman Watershed Council’s (OWC) Uniting Rural Producers and Urban Consumers project (2019–2022), which educated urban consumers in southern Alberta about agriculture and watershed stewardship through a suite of communications materials, including a popular web series, OWC: Eats! Check out more here and the project’s 2023 impact report here. The program connected consumers with professionals who are highly involved in food production systems.
The first year of the CPSI project is dedicated to producer consultation and interviews and public research. Consultation with producers identified how innovation and environmental responsibility are shaping operations, as well as public misconceptions encountered by producers. Public research shed light on gaps in understanding around how Alberta’s agricultural practices compare to other regions and how environmentally-friendly methods function on local farms.
Within this context, OWC is producing a two season webseries exploring innovation and success stories in agriculture from experts involved in food production and drought resilience at local, national, and international levels.
In addition to the web series, OWC is creating in-depth written interviews with producers, and bringing their expertise to community events with urban consumers. The OWC’s Authentic Watershed Experiences are day-long workshops that give people the opportunity to learn about watershed stewardship, including the important role that agricultural producers have in stewarding our lands and waters. Participants hear directly from local producers who are demonstrating innovation in the watershed we all share.
In the final year of the project, OWC will host an international agricultural literacy summit to connect experts in the sector who are all working on innovative solutions in agriculture.
Supporters, funders, & partners
Thank you to the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative, for their funding and continued support of this project. Thank you to all of the producers and participants who have helped make the CPSI project come to life.
