Hayley Hesseln: March 2007 Archives

The Saskatchewan Government has a plan to convert ten percent of the arable land in Saskatchewan to agroforestry by 2025. Hesseln shares issues that must be considered for a land-use conversion program of this magnitude to be successful. The potential markets, long-term demand, competition, and tree species all need to be carefully considered. There is also an important role for policy; for example, providing incentives for producers to convert to agroforestry systems to initially establish the industry which must be profitable as it cannot rely on goverment support over the long-term. If Saskatchewan is to become a world leader in agroforestry, it must be proactive, forward thinking, and purposefully position itself in the global market.