Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture

Wheat and Canola fieldWhy should we be concerned with soil conservation?

Good soil and water quality is an essential part of healthy agricultural and forest ecosystems. Soil and water quality may be lost if the soil is mismanaged during food and fibre production.

What are we doing about soil conservation?

We are measuring the impacts of soil erosion and soil amendments (e.g. fertilizer, manure) on soil quality and crop production. We have also studied the agronomic and environmental impacts of manure and sewage sludge on agricultural soils.

How does this work improve soil and water conservation?

Our research is being used to improve soil management practices in Alberta, e.g.:

  • calculating how much sewage sludge or manure can be safely applied to soils
  • optimizing the use of fertilizer to improve crop production while avoiding environmental contamination.

Why is it important to maintain organic matter in soils?

Organic matter is critical to the soil's ability to stabilize the water and nutrient cycles of ecosystems. It is also an important reservoir of carbon that would otherwise contribute to CO2 in the atmosphere.

What are we doing about organic matter in soils?

We are studying how soil organic matter changes under different agricultural management practices to identify those practices that contribute to the long term maintenance of soil organic matter.

How does this work improve soil organic matter?

We can now provide more accurate estimates of how much organic matter is gained or lost by different management practices. These estimates are being used calculate ecological costs and benefits of these practices in provincial projects designed to improve soil quality.

Do agriculture and forestry have a role in greenhouse gases and global climate change?

Terrestrial ecosystems are important in the control of greenhouse gas emissions. If Canada is to meet international commitments to reduce these emissions, we must first understand how these ecosystems affect, and are affected by, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

What are we doing about greenhouse gases?

We are studying the roles of agricultural and forest ecosystems in the control of greenhouse gases. We are also developing techniques to anticipate the impacts of climate change on agriculture and forestry so as better to plan for them.

How does this work help us to deal with climate change?

Our research is part of a national program to estimate how much greenhouse gas is emitted from agricultural and forest ecosystems, and how these emissions could be reduced. Our research will also be used to examine how ecosystem management might be altered to benefit from climate change in agricultural and forest production.

Related Resources