What is the Purpose of the SCCC Soil Health Report Card?
The Soil Conservation Council of Canada (SCCC) has a rich history as the face and voice of soil conservation in Canada. The council was founded in 1987 by a group of individuals under the leadership of Senator Herb Sparrow to advocate for the importance of soil conservation on a national scale.
The SCCC is the only national organization to concentrate on the issues of soil health and soil conservation within a broadly based landscape context. It works to build a greater understanding of the importance of soil as an essential resource to society by facilitating the exchange of information with all stakeholders. Healthy soils are the foundation of sustainable food and production, enhanced biodiversity, and cleaner air and water for present and future generations.
Interest in soil health has increased in Canada for several reasons. Producers are recognizing that soil health brings value to their farms through sustaining the profitability of their operations, increasing the resiliency of their soils to buffer weather and climate change, and the multiple benefits that healthy soils bring to them and all Canadians. More Canadians, including producers, are now recognizing the important contributions of soil in providing solutions to issues such as climate change, biodiversity and clean air and water. As a result, more individuals and groups are expressing interest in soil health and a willingness and or capacity to contribute to soil health action in Canada.
The SCCC sees the need to develop and maintain a picture of soil health on a regular basis in Canada. The Soil Health Report Card is an initiative taken by the SCCC to achieve that goal. The Soil Health Report Card will report the state of soil health in Canada and provide a simple overview that will help to raise awareness and keep all stakeholders in soil health informed.
How was the Soil Health Report Card Created?
The SCCC used a short Soil Health Survey that encompassed a range of soil centered topics in the fall of 2021. The Soil Health Survey was sent to approximately 100 informed observers across Canada who work in the field of soil health and conservation. We included a wide range of informed observers, including producers, government employees, university professors, and NGO employees.
The survey contained 22 questions that were organized into two sections. The first section encompassed background questions on the survey respondent. Section two contained soil health and conservation questions which were divided into 6 topics: soil health awareness, soil organic carbon (SOC), soil biological diversity, nutrient and pest management, soil conservation and restoration, and the value of soil health.
Information from the survey will be used to create a simple Report Card product that is a high-level summary of unbiased observations, that everyone can understand.
How will the Soil Health Report Card be used?
The Soil Health Report Card’s primary objective is to collect valuable information on the state of soil health in Canada to raise awareness. The Report Card will be released during the SCCC’s Summit “Healthy Soil – Healthy Planet” about Canadian Soil Health (November 16, 17 and 18 2021). The Report Card will also be made available to SCCC’s partners as a learning tool for soil health in Canada.
The intention behind the Soil Health Report Card is to provide information will allow the SCCC to comment on the current state of soil health in Canada. This includes:
- Highlighting successes and identifying areas for improvement within soil health
- Revealing progress made to improve soil health since the start of soil conservation in the 1980s
Accessing the Soil Health Report Cards
To access the Soil Health Report Cards please visit the following links:
Spring 2021
Fall 2021
The Report Card will also be released this year during the Summit on Canadian Soil Health (November 16, 17 and 18, 2021).
What is Next?
The SCCC aims to establish the Soil Health Report Card as an annual initiative. Future Report Cards will have more robust results though the expansion of informed observers completing the Soil Health Survey. The annual nature of the initiative will provide insight into the progress made to protect and restore soil heath in Canada, in addition to background data making the report more accurate and reflective of regional variations in soil health across Canada as the years go on. This year’s survey was by invitation only, but that is subject to change in years to come.
If you are involved in soil health and conservation and would like to take part in next year’s Soil Health Survey, please contact us through email at infosoilcc.ca.