Canada promotes soil conservation at G20

Jul 31, 2018

Minister MacAulay promoted the Agroecosystem Living Labs approach

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Canada’s federal ag minister highlighted a national method to address soil conservation challenges during recent meetings with international colleagues.

The Agroecosystem Living Labs (ALL) approach brings together scientists, industry representatives and producers to develop and test new technologies and practices on farms.

In May, G20 ag ministers asked Canada and the U.S. to establish a working group to explore ALL methods.

This approach can help farmers address such issues as soil and water conservation and climate change, Minister MacAulay told fellow ag ministers at the G20 Agriculture meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina yesterday.

Exploring and adopting new technologies can help “put more money in farmers’ pockets and help support them with the vital job of feeding the world sustainably,” he said in a statement.

The other 19 members agreed with MacAulay and included the Canadian approach in a July declaration.

“We welcome the May 2018 communique of (Meetings of Agricultural Chief Scientists), and in particulate their support for Agroecosystem Living Labs which work in close collaboration with farmers and other stakeholders,” the declaration says. “With the right policies, investments and technologies, agriculture can provide solutions to the challenges posed by climate change.”

MacAulay also discussed trade while in South America.

He visited with Chilean officials to promote Canadian canola, wheat, beef and pork. Chile is also a CPTPP member.

Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.