Why Canada in 2030?

Reflecting on a Century of Soil Science in Canada: 2030 will initiate the centennial year of organized soil science in Canada. At the May 1931 annual convention of the Canadian Society of Technical Agrologists (later to become the Agricultural Institute of Canada), held at the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph, it was resolved “That a Soils Section of the C.S.T.A. be formed of the members interested in soil science.” (p.52, Scientific Agriculture, 1931, vol XII, no.1). This initiative was especially timely, as that decade would come to be known as the ‘Dirty Thirties’, when large regions of the Canadian Prairies, as well as the America Great Plains, were ravaged by intense droughts. These droughts, in combination with inappropriate management practices, especially moldboard plowing, resulted in devastating wind erosion of soils. The Canadian government responded, in 1935, by creating the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration, to deal with problems of soil erosion, soil conservation, the lack of water resources, and eventually promoting and supporting tree planting programs. In the following year, Charles Noble introduced a tillage implement, the ‘Noble Blade’, designed to maintain crop residue coverage on the surface – an innovation leading to our modern-day minimal tillage practices. 

In conjunction with the Pacific Regional Society of Soil Science, Alberta Soil Science Workshop, Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association, Manitoba Soil Science Society, Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, as well as the L’Association québécoise des spécialistes en sciences du sol, the CSSS effectively develops, supports, and realizes diverse activities across Canada. In 2030, the CSSS will be realizing its 75th annual meeting, as well as celebrating the 75th anniversary of Canadian soil taxonomy. 

Applying Soil Science, the Canadian Way: Since the early 1980’s, there has been a shift towards decentralized, non-governmental, agricultural advisory services in Canada. In its place, diverse private-sector organizations are now actively involved in knowledge transfer between researchers and farmers – these include not-for-profit farmer associations, crop input companies and suppliers, certified crop advisors, as well as conservation authorities. A consequence of this has been a tendency towards fragmented knowledge silos and communication. Recently, however, there have been  national and provincial efforts to increase collaboration among actors to create a diverse, pluralistic network of knowledge transfer services and agents, using all types of extension methods, including digital platforms. Programs such as Agriculture Canada’s Living Laboratories Initiative, Ontario’s On-Farm Applied Research and Monitoring (ONFARM), as well as the not-for-profit Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) are examples of the collaboration and networking solutions being employed across Canada. The engagement of such programs and organizations, during the 24th WCSS, will provided the opportunity to showcase the framework that we have in Canada, for practicing and delivering soil science. 

Diverse Ecosystems in Flux: Canada is a temperate and polar country, extending between 42° and 83° North latitudes. Recent projections suggest several key climatic changes within the next 50 years (Prairie Climate Centre 2017): i) regardless of carbon emission scenarios, all regions of Canada will be warmer, ii) Canada’s arctic (predominantly occupied by Cryosols) will warm at a much greater rate than Canada’s south, iii) warming will be greater for the winter season, iv) southern Canada will be wetter during the autumn, winter, and spring, but drier during the summer. Canada’s landmass, representing about half of North America, comprises eighteen terrestrial ecozones, stretching across the northern temperate and polar climatic zones, with precipitation patterns ranging from desert to rainforest conditions. Many of these ecozones are comparable to conditions found in other countries of temperate and polar latitudes.

Canada as a Circumpolar Nation: Released in 2010, by the European Soil Data Centre (ESDC), Canada was a major contributor to the “Soil Atlas of the Northern Circumpolar Region”, developed through the International Polar Year Programme “…to inform the general public, policy makers, land managers, teachers, and the general scientific community of the unique characteristics of northern soil and raise awareness of its environmental importance and global significance.” Among the messages delivered was a reflection on the looming fate of carbon in Cryosols: “Increased temperatures in the Arctic and boreal regions are causing permafrost-affected areas to thaw thus ensuring that the huge mass of poorly decomposed organic matter that is presently locked in the frozen soil will start to decompose. As a result of this decay, significant quantities of greenhouse gases (e.g., CO2, CH4, N2O) could be released into the atmosphere. These emissions can initiate a snow-ball effect that will increase greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at an accelerating rate and greatly intensify the processes driving climate change.”

Through the International Twinning Partnerships Program, supported by the Canadian International Development Agency, the CSSS has contributed to the development of soil science in Vietnam (VietCanSol), Sri Lanka (SriCanSol), Thailand (ThaiCanSol) and Costa Rica (CostaCanSol). Numerous people from around the world have studied soil science in Canadian universities; while most returned to their countries of origin, many stayed and enriched our programs. As an active participant in the Global Soil Partnership, representatives of the CSSS continue our contribution to various working groups, notably the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils. 

The WCSS in Canada: Canada was a significant contributor to the First Congress, held in Washington in 1927, as the routing of the Soil Congress Special excursion train passed through the western provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. In 1978, Canada successfully hosted the 11th World Congress of Soil Science, in Edmonton, during which attendees also had the opportunity to participate in a broad range of post-congress tours, across the country. In 2030, a new generation of Canadian soil scientists will draw upon the considerable knowledge and experience of their predecessors and mentors, upon their own understanding of the nature and dynamics of our vast geography, as well as upon their diversity, capabilities and collaborative networks, to organize and realize a 24th WCSS, which endeavors to effectively engage their global colleagues in rewarding deliberations and experiences, highlighting our multi-stakeholder approach to soil science.