Back to Basics: Improving Soil and Creating Opportunities for a Healthy Food System

Apr 19, 2024

Dr. Lord Abbey, Associate Professor in the Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences at Dalhousie University and Bioenterprise SIAC Advisor, speaks about soil health, compost, and creating pathways for Canadian immigrants interested in agriculture.

By Tabitha Caswell for Bioenterprise

In the evolution of Canadian agriculture, few stories are as compelling as that of Dr. Lord Abbey. He’s traversed the globe from Ghana to Canada and beyond to witness its diverse landscapes firsthand. Marked by an insatiable curiosity, Dr. Abbey’s path reflects a relentless pursuit of knowledge and innovation, an unyielding resilience, and a commitment to fostering collaborative partnerships.

Here, serving as a member of the Science and Innovation Advisory Committee (SIAC) with Bioenterprise and Associate Professor in the Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences at Dalhousie University, Dr. Abbey offers insight on topics that are far-reaching but close to his heart.

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Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.