Next year has to be designated 'Year of the Soil'

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Next year has to be designated 'Year of the Soil'

Details: Published on Thursday, December 4, 2014

By Elmer Kaskiw

Farm Production Advisor, MARFD

Soils matter. They matter so much that 2015 has been designated as the “International Year of Soils” or IYS 2015 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations with this Friday, Dec. 5, 2014 being World Soil Day. So why is this designation by the FAO so important?

Soil is the basis for all plant growth as it supports the wide array of annual and perennial crops as well as all of our vast grasslands, native pastures and forests. It is through this plant growth that soil supports above ground animal biodiversity which includes all wildlife, domesticated livestock and of course our human population. Soils, within themselves, also contain a vast array of living micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi as well as the more familiar earthworms, which are critical in the cycling of crop residue and organic matter. Plant roots are also considered to be an important component of soil micro-organisms as they have in many crops, such as legumes, a symbiotic relationship and interaction with other soil organisms which are critical in the creation and availability of nutrients.

This vast array of soil micro-organisms and interactions contribute a wide array of essential services responsible for nutrient cycling, nutrient availability, soil structure, water infiltration and the regulating of soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions. These services are not only essential to the functioning of a natural ecosystem but are a cornerstone for the sustainable management of present day agricultural production systems.

Soil and land degradation still remains the greatest threat to the long term productivity and sustainability of annual crop production and to the vast grasslands and forests that support our livestock operations and wildlife. Soil erosion is the most visible and most often referred to measure of soil degradation and is a measure of the actual loss of topsoil and nutrients. This most often in annual crop production is a result of poorly timed or excessive tillage and in the case of livestock operations is a result of overgrazing of grasslands or generally unsustainable grass management.

Land degradation, on the other hand, encompasses a much wider scope of the ecosystem that includes the loss or indiscriminate destruction of natural trees, shrubs and wetlands which in turn creates further soil instability, erosion concerns and a loss of wildlife habitat.

Soil management or mitigation is therefore an integral component of land management and is where interventions maybe necessary to enhance the long term sustainability of our soils. These interventions can range from reduced tillage practices and more diverse rotations in annual crop production, to the prevention of overgrazing in our grasslands and native pastures. In both instances, the objective is to maintain and improve soil structure and help mitigate soil and water erosion. These management practices coincidentally are also critically important in sequestering carbon and minimizing agricultures contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.

In some instances soils, lands and ecosystems may already be degraded to such an extent that the original use of these soils is no longer possible and the land has become unproductive, fragile and no longer able to sustain itself. In such instances, a more drastic approach to rehabilitation will be necessary which will require a longer and a more costly investment to slow and then reverse this degradation. Many of us upon reflection can likely think of many local examples of where we are seeing or experiencing such soil and land degradation.

The goal of IYS 2015 is to create an awareness where such instances of soil and land degradation can be prevented or mitigated. The hope would be that agronomists, educators and producers use this opportunity to continue to increase their understanding of soils and keep soil preservation and improvement at the forefront. Always remembering that “if you look after the soil the soil will look after you.”