New research, explained in the QuantumShift TV documentary "SOIL - the Secret Solution to Global Warming," found that sustainably-farmed soil absorbs up to 30% more carbon from the atmosphere than conventional farming. Shifting Canada's farmland to organic would cut CO2 emissions by up to 20%. We call on Prime Minister Harper to redirect Canada's $7 billion in subsidies for conventional agriculture to sustainable farming, for the health of people and the planet.
New research from the Rodale Institute shows that sustainably-farmed soil absorbs up to 30% more CO2 from the atmosphere than convential farming. Organic farming also creates more nutritious food, which could lead to healthier diets and major reductions in healthcare costs.
Yet current government subsidies only exacerbate the greenhouse problem, encouraging large-scale, mono-crop farms which exhaust the soil with polluting, energy and chemical-intensive practices.
Shifting Canada's $7 billion in annual agricultural subsidies to support sustainable practices like organic no-till farming with winter cover crops could improve food security and public health while reducing the country's CO2 emissions by up to 20%, immediately.
We the undersigned call on the Canadian government to:
- Phase out existing agricultural subsidies, which support unsustainable, polluting, chemical and energy-intensive farming practices that deplete soil nutrients and exacerbate global warming.
- Redirect Canada's $7 billion in annual agricultural subsidies to supporting sustainable practices like organic no-till farming with winter cover crops.
Healthy soil means healthier people and less global warming pollution.
