My name is Ian Campbell. I'm the director of the science coordination division in the science and technology branch at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
I'm very pleased to have the opportunity to talk about Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's scientific involvement on Great Lakes water quality. Within the context of the committee's study, my comments are confined pretty much to the third area of focus, which is best practices.
The science and technology branch at AAFC conducts research, development, and knowledge transfer, with the goal of developing technologies and farming practices that improve the economic prosperity and sustainability of the sector. To do that, we use an approach based on partnerships, working with industry, universities and colleges, and other science providers to provide science that enhances the sector's resiliency, fosters new areas of opportunity, and supports sector competitiveness.
The Great Lakes cover a large drainage area with a wide range of land uses, including forestry, agriculture, industrial development, and urban areas. The Great Lakes basin includes highly diverse agriculture and agrifood operations.
While jurisdiction for land use decisions or for protecting surface waters, including the Great Lakes, lies with the provinces and to some extent with Environment Canada, the agriculture sector recognizes a need to minimize nutrient losses from its operations and a responsibility towards environmental stewardship. This is evident in efforts by industry, supported by governments, to develop and implement practices to apply the right fertilizer source at the right rate, at the right time, and in the right place.
AAFC has invested over the years in researching, developing, and disseminating information about beneficial management practices, or BMPs, that reduce the loss of nutrients and other forms of environmental impact from farming operations. With respect to Great Lakes water quality, a key issue for agriculture is nutrient management.
From a farmer's perspective, plant nutrients such as commercial fertilizers are an input cost, and they therefore have an incentive to ensure that nutrients are delivered efficiently to the crop and not lost to the surrounding environment. However, agricultural production is part of a complex ecological system, and nutrient loss from farms to the surrounding environment can occur depending on a wide range of factors, such as the type of soil, the level of precipitation, tillage practices, and proximity to sources of water.
AAFC researchers at our centres in Ontario and across the country are investigating strategies to manage nitrogen, phosphorus, and manure in pursuit of improved agricultural practices that improve crop nutrient utilization and reduce losses to the surrounding ecosystem. This research and associated technology transfer efforts will be an important part of AAFC's contribution to the federal government initiatives related to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the Canada-Ontario agreement.
For instance, here is what some projects include. At Guelph, we have work on assessing the risk of phosphorus losses of different agricultural landscapes. At Harrow, we have research conducted in the Lake Erie basin on strategies to understand and reduce nitrogen losses from fertilizer and manure application and thereby reduce environmental degradation by enhancing crop utilization of nitrogen and performance. We also have projects on understanding the behaviour of phosphorus in animal manures after land application and on the use of cover crops and organic amendments to reduce agricultural pollution of the Great Lakes. In Quebec City we have work on improving phosphorus use efficiency by farmers under different Canadian agro-ecosystems.
In Ontario specifically, a large number of beneficial management practices, or BMPs, have been adopted by producers. Just a few of the more popular ones include: precision agriculture, which is about applying the right amount of nutrients and varying the amount of nutrients applied within a field; farmland and horticultural facilities runoff control, reducing the nutrients in runoff; improved manure storage and handling to reduce nutrient losses to runoff; nutrient recovery from waste water; erosion control structures in riparian areas; and a number of others.
Our role at AAFC is primarily to provide science knowledge that can be used by the sector, the provinces, and others to enhance sector productivity while minimizing negative environmental impacts.
Thank you.