Creating a National Soil Health Strategy

Jun 25, 2025

The introduction of a bill by Senator Rob Black, if passed, would require the development of a national soil health strategy.

The Soil Conservation Council of Canada (SCCC) urged the passing of the bill and for the federal government to act on its recommendations and prioritize soil health across Canada.

Bill S-230 is the second step in advancing soil health in Canada. Last year, Senator Black and his colleagues undertook a major analysis of soil health in Canada, which resulted in the publication of the Senate Agriculture and Forestry Committee (AGFO) report: Critical Ground: Why Soil is Essential to Canada’s Economic, Environmental, Human, and Social Health.

Through their work, farmers and ranchers in Canada gained recognition of the hard work that they do to maintain and enhance healthy soils to produce food for Canada and the world.

North East Saskatchewan farmer and Chair of SCCC the Senate AGFO report Ian Boyd also highlighted that maintenance and continued enhancement of soil health is critical to the financial and environmental sustainability of Canadian farms and ranches.

“Healthy soil is the foundation of agriculture, and its protection is essential to long-term food security, climate resilience, and environmental sustainability,” Boyd said. “The introduction of Bill S-230 marks a vital step in advancing the Senate’s earlier work and sustaining farm productivity. To protect this critical resource, farmers need access to reliable soil health data, targeted research, and practical tools to adopt best practices tailored to their land.”

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Video: How farmers are protecting the soil and our food security | DW Documentary

For a long time, soil was all but ignored. But for years, the valuable humus layer has been thinning. Farmers in Brandenburg are clearly feeling the effects of this on their sandy fields. Many are now taking steps to prepare their farms for the future.

Years of drought, record rainfall and failed harvests: we are becoming increasingly aware of how sensitively our environment reacts to extreme weather conditions. Farmers' livelihoods are at stake. So is the ability of consumers to afford food.

For a few years now, agriculture that focuses solely on maximum yields has been regarded with increasing skepticism. It is becoming more and more clear just how dependent we are on healthy soils.

Brandenburg is the federal state with the worst soil quality in Germany. The already thin, fertile humus layer has been shrinking for decades. Researchers and farmers who are keen to experiment are combating these developments and looking for solutions. Priority is being given to building up the humus layer, which consists of microorganisms and fungi, as well as springtails, small worms and centipedes.

For Lena and Philipp Adler, two young vegetable farmers, the tiny soil creatures are invaluable helpers. On their three-hectare organic farm, they rely on simple, mechanical weed control, fallow areas where the soil can recover, and diversity. Conventional farmer Mark Dümichen also does everything he can to protect soil life on his land. For years, he has not tilled the soil after the harvest and sows directly into the field. His yields have stabilized since he began to work this way.

Isabella Krause from Regionalwert AG Berlin-Brandenburg is convinced after the experiences of the last hot summers that new crops will thrive on Brandenburg's fields in the long term. She has founded a network of farmers who are promoting the cultivation of chickpeas with support from the scientific community.