Saskatchewan farmers sequestered 12.8 million tonnes of carbon in their land in 2020 due to zero-till practices. That’s more than any other province in Canada. It’s about the same as taking 2.78 million cars off the road for a year.
This is a direct quote from the Sustainable Saskatchewan campaign launched by the Saskatchewan government last year. The figures are part of the national greenhouse gas inventory prepared by the federal government and submitted annually to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
No-till farming on the Prairies could sequester up to 0.65 tonnes of carbon per acre per year. Scaling up adoption across the 153 million acres of annual crop land in three prairie provinces could sequester around 100 million tonnes of carbon annually.
While federal and provincial governments have taken credit for carbon sequestration on prairie farmlands, which has transformed into net carbon sinks, little or no credit is given where it is due — the farmers.
Under the new federal Greenhouse Gas Offset Credit System, early adopters of no-till farming are prohibited from participating in the carbon market. The new norms from Environment and Climate Change Canada set in 2022 requires that projects are located in Canada, were initiated after Jan. 1, 2017, and can deliver “real, additional, quantified, unique and permanent GHG reductions” to qualify for federal GHG credits.
However, 2017 is like yesterday for a region that has invested in climate-friendly agriculture practices for four decades.
Last year, the Saskatchewan throne speech announced a made-in-Saskatchewan carbon offset credit program that would potentially reward farmers for practices that sequester carbon. There has been little progress since.
During a recent meeting of the standing Senate committee on agriculture and forestry, lawmakers, farmers and carbon industry players emphasized the need for a suitable policy.
Agriculture plays a substantial role in global GHG emissions. In Canada, it contributes about 10 percent of the country’s total emissions. Agriculture also holds significant potential as a carbon sink.
The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute noted the adoption of “no-till methodology has had a dramatic impact on carbon losses in Western Canada, moving the provinces from a net loss of carbon to a net gain position since 1981.”
This is based on Agriculture Canada’s Soil Organic Matter Indicator in a report on cumulative soil organic carbon change from 1981 to 2016 due to changes in tillage and summerfallow.
No-till farming not only contributes to carbon sequestration, it reduces use of equipment and labour on agricultural land. Studies estimate adopting no-till practices can result in a 71 percent reduction in emissions compared to conventional tillage.
Typically, carbon credit programs prioritize new initiatives. However, the current scenario disregards the contributions of early adopters in Western Canada, who were pioneers worldwide in embracing sustainable farming practices.
One major argument often cited is additionality. Because the adoption of zero-till may have occurred years ago, it becomes a challenge to prove a clear deviation from their previous methods.
Another concern is permanence. Carbon sequestered in soil through zero-till can be released back into the atmosphere if tilling is resumed.
Nonetheless, long-term studies such as the Prairie Soil Carbon Balance Project reveal there is incremental positive carbon change as much as 30 years after the switch to no-till or continuous cropping practices.
Further, the carbon gains have been found to extend deeper into the soil than initially anticipated, emphasizing the lasting impact of such practices.
The current approach, or rather the absence of a structured approach, is flawed because it fails to acknowledge the contributions of early adopters.
It also overlooks the investments in time, money and resources required to implement and maintain no-till practices.
Recognizing early adopters is also essential to address equity concerns in the agricultural sector because it would support small-scale and Indiginous producers.
Rachel Hor is co-founder and chief operating officer of CarbonTerra.
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