Meristem: Crop Science

Canada's farmers have made dramatic progress in managing soils at the farm level over the past several decades. But with pressures for continually increasing production combined with the growing environmental expectations of consumers, the broad support of society has never been more important in building a basis for the future.

That's why the Soil Conservation Council of Canada (SCCC) has long been a supporter of National Soil Conservation Week, held this year April 20-26, 2008. Doug McKell, SCCC executive director, says the week is an opportunity to celebrate soil management progress. It is also an opportunity to reflect on how important soil is as a resource in the production of food in Canada and how it contributes to a productive ecosystem, including water and air quality management and biodiversity.

One of the real successes of soil conservation is the amount of progress that has come from farmers and grassroots support across Canada. Recently, the SCCC, started in 1987 as the face and voice of soil conservation in Canada, launched a new Web site. Anchored at www.soilcc.ca, the SCCC Web site celebrates progress in soil management with stories capturing its past and present as well as perspectives on its future. Here are some examples.

Soil champions. National Soil Conservation Week was started by SCCC and there is probably no better overview of what's happening in soil conservation at a grassroots level today than what its members are doing. A series of articles on the SCCC Web site celebrates the pioneers of soil conservation practices in Canada. In many cases, these individuals, which include farmers and others, advanced the message of soil conservation at a time when these practices were not as accepted as they are today. This series can be found here.

Looking longer-term. Soil is a unique combination of the simple and complex – plain as dirt to the eye, yet in reality a sophisticated blend of elements vital to ecosystem health. Today, understanding this true nature of soils and the long-term implications of soil management practices is more critical than ever, say soil conservationists.

"On the Canadian prairies, our soils are built up from the last glaciation, but with new farming approaches and other practices we can alter them very quickly," says Dr. Brian Amiro, head of the department of soil science at the University of Manitoba. "These changes have wide-ranging effects, not only on the soils themselves but on the variety of ecosystems where soils play a central role."

Amiro and fellow soil conservationist Peter Gamache discuss these effects and the importance of long-term research to manage them, in the article "Blazing a trail for a new soils mindset" on the SCCC Web site.

Lessons in soil conservation. Although more producers than ever are embracing soil conservation practices such as no-till, many agree there is still a lot more that can be learned to make these practices more efficient and profitable. Linking with like-minded groups in other countries can help Canadian producers enter the next generation of soil conservation, says a leading soil conservation advocate.

Doug McKell recently traveled to Paraguay and Brazil to see how producers there are tackling the challenge of soil degradation. What he found was a group of farmers working together to protect the soil from erosion through widespread no-till practices, cover crops and watershed management.

"It doesn't matter where a farmer is from, the bottom line is still the bottom line," he says. "Just like Canadian farmers, producers from Paraguay and Brazil look for solutions that will not only ensure the long-term sustainability of the soil but also address economics and create short-term efficiencies as well. Although there are certain climate and cultural differences which may not always make these efforts easily translatable to Canada, if we learn from some of their ideas there could be some phenomenal potential."

The search for soil conservation economics. Proving the economic value of soil conservation to producers is key to protecting Canada's soil resources, say leaders on the front lines of promoting safe soil practices. The challenge is coming up with the numbers to prove that value.

"Even though more producers than ever are using soil conservation practices today, soil degradation continues to be a problem that costs Canadians around two billion dollars a year," says Doug McKell. "In order to keep our soil resource vital and productive, the agricultural industry needs to find ways to engage the next generation of soil conservation."

This article looks at this challenge from a production, scientific and advocacy perspective. "Producers such as Jocelyn Michon from Quebec have provided leadership by studying the value of soil conservation on their own farms, while scientists such as Carlyle Ross are calling for more research in this area and better tools to communicate the results to farmers.

"However, the science associated with these practices has suffered over the past few years with government budget cuts and changing priorities. As a result, there is a lack of solid scientific data on this subject. We need to revisit how science can provide the proof for soil conservation Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs), tie it to producer value, and get this information out to as many producers as possible."

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National Soil Conservation Week celebrates progress in soil management