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NFU calls for action on Senate report addressing soil degradation

The Hamilton Spectator

October 10, 2024

Healthy soil is the foundation of Canada’s agriculture sector, a resource that’s increasingly at risk due to the likes of deforestation, urban expansion, pollution and waste disposal.

It’s a situation that underlines the importance of a report compiled by the Canadian Senate, says Max Hansgen, president of National Farmers Union-Ontario.

“Soil is a national asset,” he stressed, noting that one tablespoon of soil contains more living organisms than there are people on Earth.

Soil fosters an environment full of life and contributes to the healthy functioning of an ecosystem, he explained, adding that’s what makes efforts by Senator Robert Black so important.

The Standing Senate Committee Agriculture and Forestry report – Critical Ground: Why Soil is Essential to Canada’s Economic, Environmental, Human, and Social Health – was released earlier this year following consultations with the public and stakeholders.

The report calls on the federal government to take action to protect soil by designating soil as a national asset and recognizing it as a valuable resource.

In the report, the Senate looked at the negative effects of soil degradation across Canada and how that threatens food security.

It’s a theme that has been picked by the National Farmers Union-Ontario (NFU-O).

“Largely, the report is excellent. Soil is the basis of production for agriculture,” Hansgen said, adding that viewing soil as a strategic national asset is a “big shift in thinking.”

The NFU-O agrees with the majority of findings in the report because it suggests tangible solutions for soil degradation and climate protection.

The group also praises Black and his committee for promoting soil health within the federal government.

The NFU-O backed the report’s case for publicly-funded programs that support soil protection, arguing they would offer more results than a corporate greenwashing program.

“Public funding removes the profit benefit from the equation,” said Hansgen, calling for independent and government funding will produce a more objective look at the best solutions.

One part of the report that the NFU-O does take issue with involves carbon markets. It says such programs aren’t productive. Rather, they could be more damaging.

“Our position is that this is a greenwashing of the oil industry,” Hansgen said.

Instead, farmers should play a key role in maximizing soil carbon sequestration to mitigate the threats of climate change.

“The Senate committee’s report digs deep into the very real risks of soil degradation as well as the promises of farmer-informed and publicly-funded interventions to improve soil health,” he said. “Implementing some of its key recommendations will improve farmer livelihoods, food security, climate change mitigation, environmental protection, human health, and the sustainability of the entire agricultural sector.”

Read the full article here.