The key to climate-friendly soil is healthy soil. Soil health is a top priority for farmers who rely on good soil for nutrient-rich foods, it also has the capacity to act as a carbon sink, making it an important climate initiative. Trials in Europe have demonstrated that “soil carbon sequestration is regarded as one of only a few strategies that could be applied at large scales and at a relatively low cost” (Paustian et al., 2016). Sequestering carbon refers to removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in a stable way that won’t be easily released back into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide are two out of three main greenhouse gases that threaten our climate. Through the management of agricultural soils, there is great potential to capture carbon in the ground as well as reduce or eliminate nitrogen fertilizer inputs.
Having a greater presence of soil organic matter benefits the environment and farmers. #FFCFClimateAction Click To TweetWhen soil is in a healthy state, there is a heavy presence of soil organic matter (carbon) which includes living organisms, decomposing material, and fresh reside. Jo Tobias is the creator of RootShoot Soils, an agriculture consulting agency and extension service based in Vancouver, BC. Tobias is a regenerative soils consultant and provided an in-depth description of what ‘living soils’ means. When she studies soil samples for clients to determine its health she said, “I look at bacteria, the fungi, protozoa, nematodes, microarthropods, things like that.” Tobias uses this criteria, quantifying these organisms based on what crops farmers are growing. She checks if the soil hosts these microbes and microorganisms and how diverse they are within the soil system. She adds, “The main idea is understanding biological diversity because there is a relationship that happens between plants and soil organisms and the services that soil organisms provide the plants and vice versa. Plants exude carbon compounds, so they release these carbon compounds as part of the photosynthetic process, from there they feed microorganisms in the soil and the microorganisms will then provide them nutrients in return.” Good quality compost is one of the best ways to create life in the soil, Tobias states, “A lot of these living organisms can be found in our compost pile, but we have to make and manage these compost piles properly. At the end of the day, when we want to put compost back into the soil it’s not just about the organic matter that is in the compost. What we also want to bring back are the microbes that are in that organic matter”. She continues, “Maximizing the use of the compost pile produced on the farm and understanding how we go about inoculating soil with the microbes from your compost is important for farmers.”
Having a greater presence of soil organic matter benefits the environment and farmers. Healthier soil increases the ability of the land to retain water and nutrients, resulting in greater resilience to climate shocks. Higher levels of soil organic matter improve soil structure and reduce the chances of erosion. Healthier soils improve the quality of surrounding ecosystems and the plants that feed off that soil. Lastly, capturing carbon in soil by building up soil organic matter can help reduce agriculture-related emissions. While Tobias admits that she’s not sure if the scientific community has agreed on measuring how much carbon can be sequestered in soils, she sees the potential for it. “With carbon sequestration, one of the discussions that the scientific community tends to talk about is increasing organic matter. That is one of the ways to help sequester carbon, is increase organic matter, reduce tillage, or reduce disturbance in soil,” she says. Tobias adds it’s important to, “Incorporate these practices in order to have those checks and balances when you’re removing nutrients from the soil on your farm. You have to be able to bring those nutrients back and consider in what form you are bringing those nutrients back. Is it through cover cropping, through integrated livestock management, through composting and inoculating your soil with biology?”