Earth Day Blog: International Year of Soil

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations prompted The 68th UN General Assembly to declared 2015 the International Year of the Soil. Some of the key facts that the UN is promoting to emphasize the reason for this decision are:

• 95% of our food is directly or indirectly produced on our soils

• A shortage of any one of the 15 nutrients required for plant growth can limit crop yield

• By 2050 food production must increase by 60% globally and almost 100 % in developing countries

• 33% of soil is moderately to highly degraded due to erosion, nutrient depletion, acidification, salinization, compaction

• It can take up to 1,000 years to form one centimeter of soil

• Sustainable soil management could produce up to 58% more food

• Experts estimate that we only have 60 years of topsoil left

Today is Earth Day so it is fitting to consider what the soil and the earth provide. 95% of our food comes from the soil so we should try to treat the soil with great respect. To make sure our top soil is kept healthy and preserved for future generation farmers have been changing their practices from using intensive tillage to conservation agriculture or no-till. Excessive tillage breaks down valuable organic matter in the soil that takes thousands of years to replace. Tillage also leaves the soil bare making it exposed to wind and water erosion. Canadian farmers have been among the best at adopting reduced tillage practices.

As you can see from the chart below Canadian farmers have changed from 28% conservation tillage in 1991 to 72% in 2006. Saskatchewan leads the way in conservation tillage adoption. It is used on over 80% of Saskatchewan farm land. Saskatchewan is second only to Western Australia in the world in adapting to conservation tillage practices. Western Australia is at over 90%. This is a huge commitment made by Canadian farm families to change their farming practices for future generations. This change took risk, investment in equipment, trial and error and education. We should be proud of our farm families in Canada for leading the world in good soil conservation practices. Keeping or renewing this commitment means we can keep growing lots of affordable quality food for the world’s growing population for generations to come.

 

I find it interesting that there are so many people who want to join a cause that can make a difference in the world, and yet so many ignore soil! With soil the problem is obvious, it is a fragile non-renewable resource that we are losing due to erosion and urbanization and we literally cannot live without it. The solutions are also fairly obvious: reduce tillage, choose more carefully where to urbanize, and focus on building soil health with things like no-till and cover crops. Why have organizations not latched on to this one?? The only answer I can think of is that it is not sexy enough to sell memberships.

• There are no big bad companies to blame.

• Most farms around the world are family owned (in Canada 98% are family owned).

• No one wants to picket in front of a family business.

• Farmers around the world are just doing the best they can with the tools they have.

So how does someone move soil up in the social consciousness? Experts say there are 60 years of topsoil left and no one is paying attention! Sustainable soil management could produce up to 58% more food. Agvocates around the world need to concentrate on this fundamental issue and build the ground swell from within. Agriculture is not united under this cause at the moment, and that might be part of the problem. As agronomists we should be focusing on not only yield and profit but long term soil health as well. I think in Western Canada we have proved it is possible to have all three.

The major challenge I see is the high intensity farming parts of the world where land prices and subsidies are high and the stakes are higher. These areas are more resistant to change. At least they have the resources to do research and find solutions to change their practices if the desire was there. The biggest resistance will come from areas where farmers are very poor and doing anything they can to put food on the table which includes mining and depleting their soil.

In France, law dictates that farms cannot leave their fields bare, so cover crops are planted quickly after harvest. This effort was taken to stop contamination of ground water with nutrients but it will also have positive implications on their soils long term. I have visited farms in France and there are a very small number that no-till and use cover crops. They are taking soil building to a new level, and are worthy of emulating.

The dust bowl in the 30s was bound to keep repeating itself if we didn’t do anything about it. It took a joint effort by Universities, Extension Agronomists, Government and dedicated innovative farmers to find a system that works in our environment. Over 10-20 years soil erosion and the spread of salinity was all but stopped and the long slow process of soil building has begun. I believe if this kind of joint effort was put into place in all parts of the world, we could make major advancements in reversing this disturbing trend of soil degradation. Imagine what could be done using GMO plant breeding to develop companion crops that would help feed and protect the food crop while it is growing? Imagine GMO cover crops that bring up nutrients from deep in the soil and turn into organic matter on the surface, protect the soil from erosion, and increase the soil health all at once?

The technology is there, the need is definitely there, the passion to do it is there among many soil scientists and plant breeders. The United Nations is saying it is the developed world’s responsibility to do it. Philanthropists like Bill and Melinda Gates are on board to spend the money to make a difference. I believe what we really need is the United Nations and the World Health Organization to take a strong positive stand on GMOs and other modern agriculture tools. Then the work of soil conservation could start in developing countries where it is needed the most.

I invite your questions and comments. Please tweet me @PatrickBeaujot or @NOTILLville