Improving on-farm climate mitigation and adaptation through stewardship programs
Introduction
The objective of this research was to quantify the ability of three agricultural stewardship programs to increase on-farm climate mitigation and adaptation, indicated by improvements in soil carbon storage and soil water regulation.
The stewardship programs examined in this study have been implemented by the Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust (DF&WT) since the early 1990s. The programs include:
- Hedgerows (HR)
- Grassland set-asides and winter cover crops (GLSA + WCC)
- Winter cover crops only (WCC)
These programs incentivize the ecological practices listed above and are implemented to improve both soil conditions and wildlife habitat in agricultural systems of the Fraser River Delta, BC. They offer a cost-share with farmers to help offset the costs of planting, managing, and temporarily removing the land from production.
Although these programs have been shown to support numerous ecosystem services, such as pollination and biodiversity, it was unclear how they contributed to on-farm climate mitigation and adaptation. This research helps identify additional benefits of stewardship programs.
Click the link above to read the research brief.
About this Brief
This brief was prepared by the BC Food Web team with the help of Jordan Kersey, and is based on the following scientific journal article:
Kersey, J. H., Paul, S. S., Dowell, L., Krzic, M., & S. M. Smukler. (2024). 25-years of stewardship programs enhance regenerative outcomes in river delta soils of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Geoderma, 443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.116808
Key Findings
- Enrolment in agricultural stewardship programs (for grassland set asides, winter cover cropping, and hedgerows) improved on-farm climate mitigation and adaptation.
- Specifically, enrolment in hedgerow and grassland set-aside with winter cover cropping stewardship programs increased soil organic carbon stocks by 60-70% and improved soil water regulation (the ability of soil to receive, store, and redistribute water).