The Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry have completed a new study on the status of soil health in Canada. Since the last national study on soils was in 1984, a lot of information is sure to be ground breaking.
Titled Critical Ground: Why Soil is Essential to Canada’s Economic, Environmental, Human and Social Health. Spearheaded by Senator Rob Black, the conclusions are sound and consequential.
The committee learned that soil delivers ecosystem services that enable all—plant, animal, human—life on Earth, such as water purification and storage; climate and flood regulation; nutrient cycling; carbon sequestration; the provision of food, fibre, fuel, and construction materials; habitat for organisms; and the foundation for human infrastructure and cultural heritage.
While soil management has made strides and crop yield has increased with enhanced plant genetics and cultural practices, these gains have also masked the effect of continued soil degradation and loss of agricultural land in every region of Canada. “This is the result of climate change and more frequent extreme weather events (drought, fires, floods), urbanization, and misread outcomes of soil management practices. We do not have another 40 years to protect and conserve soil. We must act now,” states the report summary.
It also states that “to protect and conserve farmland soil throughout Canada, the committee heard that all levels of government—federal, provincial, territorial, municipal—should work together to plan agriculture into, and not out of, communities. Witnesses also said that building soil-based incentives (tax credits for farmers, enhanced crop insurance, a viable carbon market), as well as sustained funding for soil research initiatives is imperative for producers’ prosperity. Finally, witnesses suggested that the Government of Canada provide funding for peer-to-peer soil networks, extension services, soil science programs, and encourage the development of programming in elementary and high schools to enhance awareness and understanding of the economic, environmental, and social contributions that agriculture brings to this country.
The committee believes that a new path forward is needed; one that is based on collaboration between federal, provincial, territorial, municipal, and Indigenous governments, to ensure that the economic prosperity of agricultural and forestry producers is at the forefront of soil-related policymaking.”
Twenty-five recommendations have come from the committee as a result this lengthy study. More information, results and recommendations are available at www.SenCanada.ca.
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