Category: Country Guide Articles

When multiple partners come together for a common goal – it’s hard not to listen to what they have to say. That is the case now as a broad-base of stakeholders from across Canadian agriculture have partnered to drive the future of farm sustainability forward. This group is standing out as leaders in soil health, and they are advocating for a list of pragmatic recommendations that our country’s decision-makers can act on now.

Embracing climate-resilient practices, nature-based solutions and enhanced productivity is the vision that the Soil Conservation Council of Canada along with our partners at Ducks Unlimited Canada, Canadian Wildlife Federation, Canadian Cattle Association, Canadian Federation of Agriculture, CropLife Canada, Canadian Forage and Grassland Association and Fertilizer Canada presented to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada ad they developed the next Agricultural Policy Framework. And at the heart of this is soil.  

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Health soil – healthy planet! That’s a connection more Canadians are making. The Soil Conservation Council of Canada (SCCC) has always been a strong advocate for our soils to ensure that all Canadians continue to benefit from the health of this resource.

Soils are so much more than dirt. Farmers depend on soils for their livelihoods and all Canadians rely on them for clean air, food and water.

Farmers know that soil health and conservation practices are the best way to manage agricultural land. Soil health practices (zero till, cover crops, extended and diverse crop rotations etc.) prevent soil degradation, thus maintaining and improving soils for future generations. These practices make farming more sustainable while improving farmers’ bottom line. The current estimate of soil degradation costs to Canadians is around $3.1 billion annually. Clearly, there is still work to be done.

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A couple of unsung heroes are waiting in the wings to help us tackle climate change. Soil leads this dynamic duo, but it has a very important and powerful partner – organic amendments such as those produced by composting and anaerobic digestion facilities across Canada.

Context and support for this claim can be found in an important new report, Recruiting Soil to Tackle Climate Change: A Roadmap for Canada, which identifies the enormous opportunity that soil represents for combatting the climate crisis.

Written and published jointly by the Soil Conservation Council of Canada (SCCC) and the Compost Council of Canada (CCC), with support from the Metcalf Foundation, this timely report identifies an enormous opportunity. Canada’s soils – about 71 million hectares of managed agricultural and urban soils – have the potential to absorb and hold enough carbon to completely offset agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions footprint, currently estimated at 73 megatonnes (Mt) annually!

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This new year brings some new faces to the Soil Conservation Council of Canada (SCCC.) We’ve added two new members, adding experience and capacity to our board of directors.

NEW DIRECTORS
Catherine King, vice-president of Communications and Stakeholder
Relations for Fertilizer Canada. King says that throughout her career, she has “Looked for unique opportunities to partner with people outside of the agriculture sphere.” These partnerships are crucial in educating Canadians
about soil health and helping us better protect our soils. King is currently working on Canada’s Agriculture Museum’s Soil Superheroes display,
which gives an overview of “soil, why it’s important, what it does for us every day.” King says projects like this are exciting and can bring some spirited conversation to the table.

Dr. Haben Asgedom Tedla, research scientist — Systems Agro-Ecology with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. His current focus is on nutrient management and mitigation of GHG emissions using BMPs. Asgedom’s passion for soil health is obvious. “I was always interested in soils as a living material where its productivity depends on how well it’s maintained.” After receiving his PhD in 2008, Asgedom worked as a research associate at the University of Manitoba, then as a research
scientist and systems developer with Farmers Edge. Today Asgedom focuses on nitrous oxide emissions, water quality and nutrient
management through precision application.

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Soil health is a big deal, and the Soil Conservation Council of Canada is proud to be the face and voice of soil conservation in Canada. Our biennial Soil Health Summit is one way we give soil health the attention it deserves.

Last November, our virtual soil health summit titled “Healthy Soil – Healthy Planet” brought together a range of agricultural professionals to present and discuss vital soil topics. Each speaker emphasized the necessity of soils as a source of solutions to threats faced around the world. Regional perspectives were brought to light through regional breakout room discussions, and an educational 4-H panel brought hope for the future, revealing a dedicated and informed younger generation ready
to take up the cause of soil health.

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You may not have noticed, but Canada’s soils are definitely becoming a big deal. Soil is where you make your living. It sustains our rural communities. It grows our food. It even cleans our air and water and supports biodiversity.

Canadians are becoming aware of the contribution soil makes to our lives and are starting to advocate for its continued health. Farmers and ranchers do their part to sustain our soil resource, and more and more Canadians are taking note of this important stewardship.

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Don’t guess, soil test. Soil testing has a long history on farms across Canada and is one of the most important management practices any operation can make to improve yields, profitability and reduce environmental impacts.

In most regions of the country, soil tests are completed in each field every three or four years, primarily to monitor phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) levels, as well as key soil metrics that include pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and organic matter. More recent options include soil nitrate tests to estimate levels of available N, which is especially useful to maximize nutrient use efficiency in regions with significant precipitation.

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The soil beneath our feet is teeming with life, full of nutrients and living organisms, and is essential for growing the crops that feed both Canadians and the world. These six facts will give you a new appreciation for soil.

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Climate change and climate variability present a challenge to Canadian producers from coast to coast. Drought, floods, and extreme temperature fluctuations can have severe impacts on crop production. Indirect impacts of climate change include higher soil erosion rates, increases in invasive species, and changes in pest pressures and lifecycles. In the coming decades, researchers have predicted that 30 per cent of all land in North America will be impacted by drought, as compared to one per cent today (1). Increases in average temperatures can also lead to more intense and severe precipitation events, as already experienced in regions of Western Canada during the 2020 growing season. Given these predicted and realized increases in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events the agri-food industry is presented with a challenging question.

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In 1984, the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry published “Soil at Risk — Canada’s Eroding Future.” Led by Senator Herbert Sparrow (who later formed the Soil Conservation Council of Canada), it’s still heralded as one of the Senate’s best and most widely distributed reports.

The report sparked a renewed focus on soil conservation, but that was 36 years ago, and a lot has changed. Climate change, evolving production practices, new crops and a growing global population place increasing pressure on soil health. We still look to soil to produce most of our food, to clean our air and water, to help in the fight against climate change and to support biodiversity. If we want soil to continue providing these services, we need to take better care of it.

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