Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) Program

The Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) Program aims to empower farmers and farmland owners in conservation and regeneration of agricultural landscapes. 

ALUS supports the maintenance, enhancement, and production of ecological goods and services (EG&S) to reduce soil erosion, improve air and water quality, enhance wildlife habitat and biodiversity, sequester carbon and build resilient agricultural landscapes.  ALUS provides financial assistance to farmers and farmland owners through a multi-year land use agreement. The agreement provides annual payments for the adoption and maintenance of beneficial management practices (BMPs) on agricultural land and for the conversion of targeted environmentally sensitive land from annual crop production to biodiverse, carbon sequestering perennial landscapes. 

The delivery of the ALUS program is a joint effort of two provincial government departments: The Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action. Guidance for ALUS program activities will be provided by the ALUS Partnership Advisory Committee comprised of members from industry, conservation and watershed groups.

Am I eligible to apply for ALUS funding?

The following includes a summary of program and funding eligibility. Before completing the application form, please review program and funding criteria in the Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) Program Guidelines .

Eligible Recipients

• Mi’kmaq First Nations and other Indigenous groups;
• Landowners leasing active agricultural land to an agricultural producer (further documentation may be requested); and
• Agricultural producers.

Eligible activities/expenses include: 

• Converting marginal or high-risk croplands that have been in annual production at some point since 2015 into biodiverse, perennial, carbon-sequestering landscapes. Eligible lands include:
  • Expansion of buffer zones beyond the regulated 15m;
  • Seasonally wet annual cropland;
  • High slope cropland; and
  • Field margins.
• Maintaining land under soil conservation structures, or natural hollows left as permanent grass;
• Excluding livestock from watercourses and wetlands;
• Establishing and maintaining habitat and nectar sources for pollinators and other beneficial insects;
• Planting trees & shrubs on ALUS-retired lands;
• Delaying cutting and harvesting of grass in forage fields, and deferring grazing of forages in pastures, until after July 15th of each year; 
• Establishing and maintaining innovative agroforestry systems; and
• Avoiding conversion and enhancing management of previously enrolled ALUS features.

What do I need to complete the application form?

Information required for all programs:

Application Form

• Applicant contact information;
• Business or organization information, including CRA registration number;
  • If applicable, Partnership information
• Additional sources of project funding;
• Recipient type (i.e. primary producer, agricultural landowner, processor);
• Type of industry (i.e. Dairy, potato, beef, hog, grains and oilseeds);
• Signature for declaration and consent to personal information; and
• Demographic information (optional).

ALUS Project Details:

• New ALUS Participants:
  • complete Appendix A: ALUS New Feature Enrollment to enroll properties in the ALUS program. Indicate whether properties are leased or owned.
• Existing ALUS Participants: 
  • complete the ALUS Feature Renewal Appendix (specific to you and sent to you by mail) to re-enroll existing ALUS features. For each feature, indicate whether you want to re-enroll it in ALUS, and whether you’d like to enhance the feature to manage for greater biodiversity or have trees and shrubs planted 
  • complete the Appendix A: ALUS New Feature Enrollment to enroll new properties in the ALUS program, and/or to add new ALUS features to properties already enrolled in the program.
• NOTE: Appendix A:ALUS New Features Enrollment is located within the ALUS Program General Application Form

For more information contact:

PEI Department of Agriculture 
11 Kent Street
PO Box 2000
Charlottetown PE C1A 7N8
Telephone: (902) 368-4880
Email: ALUS@gov.pe.ca

The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) is a new $3.5-billion, 5-year agreement (April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2028), between the federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of the agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐based products sector. The agreement includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and $2.5 billion in cost-shared programs and activities funded by federal, provincial and territorial governments..