While shifting to plant-based diets and reducing food waste are essential steps, what happens at the farm level will be more important. There, it will be the choices made around technology and intensity that will count, according to information from The Conversation.
With crops grown in agricultural fields, more intensive management means a reduction in crop diversity, combined with increased nutrient application and the use of mechanical tillage on the farm. In eastern Canada, cultivation intensified as it became less diverse.
Common cash crops like soybeans leave very little waste (mostly carbon) to add to the soil to help reverse the buildup of CO 2 in the atmosphere. This intensification has led to a continuous decrease in the amount of carbon in the soil. Canadian farmers, with the support of federal and provincial programs, are responding to the challenge of climate change with a range of crop interventions, all under the umbrella of “nature-based solutions to climate change”.
These new practices aim to improve soil health, return more carbon to the soil, improve nitrogen efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas losses. Although no-till (avoiding soil disturbance for planting) does not improve soil carbon in eastern Canada, unlike western Canada, cover crops, crop diversification and maintenance perennial grasses are recommended.
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