U of Waterloo asking for rancher and farmer opinions on conservation programs

(Tim Oleksyn/supplied)

Farming and ranching organizations across western Canada are collaborating with a University of Waterloo research project to better understand producers preferences when it comes to conservation programs. Research lead, Dr. Jeremy Pittman says a big question they’re hoping to answer is how they can make both agriculture and species at risk thrive on Canadian landscapes.

“We’re really trying to figure out the synergies between agriculture and conservation, highlight those, and figure out what we can learn from those to develop future programs,” he says.

From this survey, the research group also hopes to help public perception when it comes to agriculture.

“There’s a lot of stuff that you hear about sometimes (while out and about) where agriculture gets a bad wrap, and what we’re essentially trying to do is highlight a lot of the good things that people across the prairies are doing in terms of species-at-risk, endangered species, and conservation in general.” (story continues below player)

The data collected will be used to prepare research reports, publications, and presentations. Data from the study will be kept by the U of W for at least seven years on a secure hard drive, and only researchers associated with the project will have access to it.

To take the 15 minute survey, click here.

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