Global
Canada’s soils are in crisis
By Sarah Rotz, Rod MacRae, and Ralph C. Martin November 7, 2018
As the climate changes, we must radically improve soil health in Canada.
Maintaining soil health is crucial to both sustainable food and climate systems, say researchers Sarah Rotz, Rod MacRae, and Ralph C. Martin. Jahoo Clouseau photograph courtesy of Pexels
Healthy soil is the heart of our food system and, by every conceivable measure, we are making our soil sick. In Ontario, soil organic matter—a key determinant of soil health—is now decreasing on 82 per cent of farmland. Since 1948, the soil organic matter in Essex County, in the province’s far south, has declined by more than half on the vast majority of farms. Meanwhile, 54 per cent of farmland across Ontario now has high levels of erosion risk.
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