More food needs to be grown on the same amount of land. A lot more mouths need to be fed on the planet in the near future. How to do it sustainably without depleting the environment and contributing to greenhouse gases.
Finding solutions to these challenges is something the Government of Canada is investing in, spending $25 million right now from the Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Program on 20 research projects across Canada.
Three projects at the University of Guelph are the recipient of $2.2 million of that money. A funding announcement was held Thursday at the Edmund C. Bovey Building, home of the Department of Plant Agriculture and the School of Environmental Sciences.
Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield made the announcement on behalf of federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay.
Ontario Agricultural College dean Rene Van Acker said U of G science is dedicated to feeding the world’s growing population in a more sustainable way. The research funding will certainly contribute to that important work.
Longfield said there is an economic component to the funding, and it also ties in to the social responsibility the country has to help feed the planet.
“And there is also the environmental piece, which is really the most important part of this announcement,” he said to a gathering that numbered about 30 people. “How do we make agriculture sustainable through the research at the University of Guelph?”
He said the research team at U of G is helping farmers feed the world sustainably, while helping farmers make their farms greener.
“The innovation and the solutions that are developed here will bring real benefits for Canada’s farmers and Canada’s environment, and, yes, Canada’s economy,” he said. “There’s no doubt that science is our most powerful tool when it comes to the environment and climate change issues.”
Environmental sciences professor Naresh Thevathasan studies riparian buffer plantings - tree and other vegetation plantings that prevent runoff from farms into streams.
His research project, which engages scientists from four other Canadian universities, received $1.7 million to find out if riparian zones can mitigate climate change impacts. Riparian zones are already known to enhance water quality.
Longfield praised the research for it potential to protect watersheds and fresh water lakes, and reduce the impacts of global warming.
Ralph Martin in Plant Agriculture received $380,000 to study the effectiveness of using sensors mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles to measure soil organic carbon levels.
Those levels are currently measured using soil samples from fields, but Martin’s approach could be quicker and more cost-effective.
And Environmental Science professor John Lauzon received nearly $180,000 to study nitrous oxide emissions, analyzing nitrogen losses and the effectiveness of using manure nitrogen.
Longfield said Ontario farmers are taking actions to safeguard soil, air and water resources.
“They continue to make great strides in reducing agriculture’s environmental footprint, getting higher yield crops, more effective use of inputs like fertilizers, and adopting technologies that use water efficiently,” Longfield said.
He added that climate change and sustainability are key priorities for the government.
“We are all looking at what to do going forward to have a sustainable planet, and still have sustainable agriculture,” he added. “Science will be our biggest ally in helping the farmers meet the challenge of increasing production sustainably. We are supporting the great work of our scientists here in Guelph, but also across the country.”
