Fertilizer Emission Reduction Target submission to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
TO: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
RE: Fertilizer Emission Reduction Target Consultations
Reducing greenhouse gases to net zero is important to Saskatchewan canola growers and the ecosystems in which they operate. Saskatchewan farmers have led the world in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by reducing tillage, developing and manufacturing minimum tillage farm equipment, and adopting plant varieties that use nutrients more efficiently.
One development that may be under-appreciated is the significant reduction in summer fallow in Saskatchewan. At one time, almost one third of Saskatchewan fields were left unplanted, tilled repeatedly to aerate the soil, kill weeds, store moisture, and help make nutrients available to the next crop. This created the perfect conditions for soil erosion by air and water, resulting in significant GHG emissions. This practice, and the resulting emissions, were largely laid to rest with the widespread adoption of synthetic fertilizers.
These are some of the reasons – along with the vital necessity of feeding a food insecure world – that we commend the Minister for making the reduction of GHG emissions from synthetic fertilizer a goal rather than a mandate. The unintended consequences resulting from mandating such a policy, without having the data and science to predict the results, could be damaging to farmers, Canadians and the environment. There is simply not enough research available for us to know if we are headed in the right direction. The end results could very well be counterproductive to the stated objectives of the policy.
Farmers and scientists have always been focused on yield improvements. This area of scientific research took a giant leap forward during the Green Revolution when factors affecting yield such as fertilizer use, rust resistance, and dwarf varieties of wheat were adopted by farmers. What is often overlooked is the fact that with crops grown intensively, rather than extensively, millions of acres of wilderness are preserved in Canada and around the world.
The focus on improved yield in modern agriculture has been very successful and we must continue to keep yield as one of our goals. The goal of reducing GHG emissions will require the same discipline, science and innovation that has been so successful in producing abundant food. At the same time, the world’s food security has to remain top-of-mind and we have to continue to invest in food production. We need to increase our investment in sustainable farming processes with a goal of reducing GHG emissions. However, this funding should not be sourced from existing agriculture research budgets. Preserving the environment is a public good.
SaskCanola is investing in research that moves in the direction of the government’s objectives. With our partners, we sponsored the Prairie Soil Carbon Balance Project which showed that modern farming practices significantly increased carbon sequestration – a change that is equivalent to taking 1.83 million vehicles off the road. This research was led by Brian McConkey at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research centre in Swift Current.
We are also investing in new research projects to accurately measure the gases coming from Prairie soils and what is being sequestered so that we can find a true net number. A project led by Dr. Congreves is measuring the impact of different crop rotations on nitrous oxide (N2O) release from the soil year-round using a cutting-edge micromet sampling instrument that monitors GHG emissions from an array of sensors in Prairie field conditions. Projects like this will help close the gap between assumptions about N2O release and what is actually happening in Prairie soils by directly measuring true releases over time, including periods of rapid release and periods of relative stability.
Another GHG emissions project, newly funded by SaskCanola, is Dr. Lemke’s optimization of dual-inhibitor N-fertilizer to maximize N2O emission reductions. SaskCanola is also funding three research projects by Dr. Helgason and Dr. Arcand to look at microbial community effects on the contributions of crop residue degradation versus N2O released directly from fertilizers, as well as the effect of different crop rotations on soil carbon sequestration and stabilization.
There is a lot of confusion around the proposed 30% reduction of N2O emissions from synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. One of the causes of this confusion is that there is no plan or methodology to achieve the stated goal. It erodes trust in the government when stakeholders have no idea how the goal can be accomplished. Industry has suggested that the 4Rs are a start, but when farmers are repeatedly asking how to get to a 30% reduction in N2O emissions from synthetic fertilizer it seems to indicate the plan was not well-vetted. In addition, there appears to be no analysis to determine the threshold of success. Considering this lack of scientific rigor, lack of planning and absence of transparency, farmer stakeholders are asking if 30% reduction in emissions will only be achieved by a 30% reduction in fertilizer.
Future Research
Saskatchewan farmers have done their part when it comes to reducing GHG emissions. They have been leaders in this field, not just in comparison to other farmers around the world but in relation to other global economic sectors. The question is now what comes next, and the answer must be based on scientific research.
There are obvious steps where government can take the lead:
1. More research needs to be done to quantify the role of agriculture in GHG emissions and sequestration from a net perspective because it is one of the few instances where sinks exist and improve productivity.
2. Plants need to be developed that use fertilizer more efficiently.
3. The capacity of plants to photosynthesize needs to be increased so that more carbon is taken out of the air.
4. Plants with longer roots that have a more stable carbon structure need to be incorporated into breeding programs.
5. Field crops need to be developed that fix their own nitrogen. Currently, crops such as wheat and corn need to have nitrogen applied from an external source. Creating cultivars in these species that fix their own nitrogen would completely change the amount of synthetic fertilizer that the world needs.
6. More efficient fertilizers need to be developed and produced in more efficient ways.
We sincerely thank you for this opportunity to provide feedback. In this submission we have listed some of the concerns we have identified, but also some possible solutions. As an organization built on investing in research for the industry’s future and the prosperity of farmers, we focus our proposed solutions on innovation. Fostering innovation has always been a successful strategy in the canola industry and the overall agriculture sector. Innovation will also provide the solution to mitigating the impacts of climate change, so we encourage this approach to reach the government’s emission reduction goals.
Please reach out to our office at any time if you have any questions or would like to discuss our suggestions further.
Sincerely,
Charlene Bradley
Chair, Board of Directors