Phosphorus Index Outreach and Material Creation

The Regional Development Unit (RDU) within the Extension Services and Support Branch (ESSB) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (Ministry) consists of a network of professionals providing frontline extension services and facilitated solutions on complex issues in agricultural regions across the province. 

The Ministry is committed to developing resources and tools and providing extension programming to facilitate climate adaptation, mitigation, and environmental sustainability in B.C.’s agriculture sector. The phosphorus index project will develop a valuable decision-aid tool to help producers mitigate nutrient loss from farms. Through phosphorus risk assessments producers will identify beneficial management practices they can adopt to reduce phosphorus loss.  

Phosphorous, an essential plant nutrient, can be a risk to surface water quality when in excess and when agricultural soils are eroded. North Okanagan (NO), Lower Mainland, and Vancouver Island (VI) are listed as Phosphorous Affected Areas within B.C. and phosphorous management is a topic of interest for the sector and public in the North Okanagan. Under the Agricultural Environmental Management Code of Practice (AEMCoP) all agricultural operations ≥5 ha in phosphorous affected areas will require nutrient management plans starting in 2024.  

Ministry of Agriculture and Food staff conducted interviews in 2021 with 6 stakeholders (producers or staff of interested organizations) in the NO. Feedback included concern over P-loss, gaps in knowledge, and fear of enforcement under  (AEMCoP).   

This project is a multi-faceted approach for increasing awareness around factors affecting phosphorus loss on farms. Through the development of information resources and tools, producers will be able to assess risks and identify beneficial management practices to address the issue. The main element of risk mitigation is the creation of a Phosphorus Index (P-Index) tool for producers to use to identify phosphorus loss on farms and implement strategies to reduce this loss. Supporting factsheets, case studies, demonstration plot and field days are in scope for this contract.   

Further details as to the scope of this opportunity and the requirements can be found within this RFP. 
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VGN Resources Group, Inc. (VGN) will be the Program Administrator for projects under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food's (Ministry) upcoming extension programming for environmental sustainability and climate change.  This RFP and project is administered by VGN on behalf of the Ministry.