Protecting soil vital to feeding the world.Ottawa—All Canadians needs to understand the importance of good soil health to their well-being and how food-producing soil is at risk of degradation, says Senator Rob Black.Black, chair of the Senate agriculture committee, which will hold hearings this fall as part of its study on soil health, says healthy soil is needed “to produce most of our food, to clean our air and water, and strengthen our country's biodiversity.“If we want soil to continue providing these services, we need all Canadians to work collaboratively to strengthen our soil health,” he said in the latest Canadian Federation of Agriculture Food for Thought newsletter.“I believe it is imperative that all Canadians, not just those involved in agriculture, understand that soil health is influenced by many factors. It is also key that they understand the potential for soil degradation remains a constant threat to the resiliency and sustainability of agricultural and natural ecosystems, which will in turn impact every Canadian from coast to coast to coast.”The current food supply issues around the world highlight the importance of soil health and without that there is no food security, he said.“Unfortunately, our soils are in need of immediate help and attention to ensure they can continue supporting and providing for our planet. Today, we are facing a dire situation as more and more soil is deemed unsuitable for agricultural use.”David Lobb, a soil expert at the University of Manitoba, estimates only 7 per cent of Canada's soil was considered suitable for agriculture in 2016, Black said “This comes as a result of many practices of the past and of the present, some of which have had severely detrimental effects on our country's soil health.”A previous Senate study on soil health, released in 1984 is sorely in need of an update, he said. The new study “is extremely timely, as we now face the increasingly visible impacts of climate change, such as the floods and extreme heat that we saw decimate farmland and livestock last summer, a struggling global supply chain, and population growth around the world. Healthy soils can make a difference in our futures, if we put in the effort to make changes now.Many in the Canadian agricultural community have worked to implement soil management practices such as zero-till methods, which increases the retention of organic matter and nutrient cycling, and in turn increases carbon sequestration, or having perennial forage coverage makes a difference. “However, even more needs to be done to return our soils to a stronger, more resilient state.”Australia has a National Soil Strategy that sets out how the country will value, manage, and improve its soil by driving collaborative and coordinated on-ground action, research, education, monitoring and governance.California has introduced a Healthy Soils Program, as part of the National Cooperative Soil Survey, to promote the development of healthy soils on California's farmlands and ranchlands. It provides financial incentives to farmers and ranchers to implement specific management practices that achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions, sequester carbon, and improve soil health on their farms.Anyone who wants to contact the committee about the study should email the clerk at [email protected].