Reducing Emissions Through Stewardship Initiatives
Fertilizer production is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and nitrogen management is critical to overall environmental health. To demonstrate its commitment to sustainability, the fertilizer industry has been headlining a stewardship initiative that will utilize the 4R (Right Source at Right Rate, Right Time, Right Place®) Nutrient Stewardship System (4Rs) to increase production and profitability of farmers, while simultaneously enhancing environmental protection and improving sustainability of fertilizer usage. The Farming 4R Land project included two phases, both of which were funded through ERA’s Biological Adaptation Program in 2012. Their aim was to protect soil quality, improve agricultural practices, and contribute positively to the environment while ensuring economic competitiveness for farmers.
The Farming 4R Land Project provides Alberta producers with science-based information and advice on how to use beneficial management practices under the 4R Nutrient Stewardship to reduce emissions by using the Nitrous Oxide Emissions Reduction Protocol (NERP) when they apply fertilizer or other crop nutrients on their fields. The first phase of the Farming 4R Land project facilitated initial engagement with stakeholders to inform and advocate for safe practices. In Phase II of the project, the Canadian Fertilizer Institute (CFI) and project partners built on the momentum from the first phase to develop NERP enabling tools and resources to operationalize several stages of the 4R strategic plan – partnership and outreach, evaluation of implementation and recognition and advocacy. With the use of various webinars, in-person surveys at conferences like FarmTech, events and in-person workshops and meetings, CFI engaged a wide variety of stakeholders.
Farmers are Committed to Sustainable Farming
The 4R strategic plan assisted in defining what successful sustainable farming is, as well as how farmers, consumers, and society can include environmental and social goals in the assessment of stewardship. The second phase of this project also brought 4R Nutrient Stewardship into the agricultural classroom, targeting students to utilize their training on the 4Rs to make decisions for the Student Led Farm. Overall, CFI found that Alberta farmers continue to demonstrate their commitment to being strong stewards of the land. CFI also discovered that it’s pertinent to develop a dependable sustainability data reporting system that is both relevant and robust in terms of data acquisition and retention procedures. Such a system would be beneficial so producers can proactively meet the diverse, and often convoluted, sustainability requirements of food processors and retailers downstream.
What’s next?
According to an economic analysis, material economic incentives for producers to adopt an advanced 4R or NERP level could result in a potential 25 per cent reduction in GHG emissions from all participating acres. CFI suggests that incentives encouraging sustainable practices, such as GHG offset programs, need to be set at levels that are not viewed as trivial by producers to actually incentivize change. Additionally, while continuing the extension approach with producers, a concerted effort should also continue to stimulate widespread support from other key stakeholders in the agri-food value chain. This will require not only appropriate levels of rigor in data and management systems, but a commitment to further the granularity and oversight of the data as sustainability programs evolve.