Make Agriculture Great Again
Climate change is coming and without proper adjustments, Canada’s ‘bread basket’ will burn. The prairie region, which produces the majority of Canada’s grain for consumption and exportation, may not be prepared for impacts of global warming. Climate change will provide the ultimate soil resiliency test by bringing hot, dry summers to Canadian prairies. Increased frequency and intensity of droughts will impact public food security and Canadian agricultural industries.
(Photo by Gelineau 2020)
In a discussion of the future of Canada’s “bread basket”, Dr Mervin St Luce a research scientist for Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, recommended implementing “Beneficial Management Practices” to restore soil health, including; low soil disturbance (direct seeding and no till), diversifying crop rotations(include pulses), the use of cover crops (no fallow) and soil testing to guide nutrient management.
“Society needs to step-up” says Jim Tokarchuck, a member of the Soil Conservation Council of Canada. Despite overwhelming evidence supporting the economic and environmental benefits of incorporating soil conserving BMPs into grain farming, the simple modifications fail to be implemented. A drive through rural Saskatchewan demonstrates the lack of unity among farmers when incorporating BMPs. Bare fields left to fallow which are grey and lifeless because of till induced erosion are glaring examples of the improper soil management going on in rural areas.
Tokarchuck comments on the lack of government and industry driven soil saving education. “We need to build soil health and resiliency for future generations” says Dr. St Luce. To do so we must unify as a country and call to local governments to provide accessible education to farmers that demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits of BMPs. The benefits of proper and science-based agriculture extend off the farm and into our environment.