Canada’s Cereal Crops Go Green
Cereals Canada has released a new set of sustainability reports highlighting how Canadian cereal crops—non-durum wheat, durum wheat, barley, and oats—are produced using environmentally responsible methods. These reports focus on six key indicators of sustainability: carbon footprint, soil organic carbon, fertilizer use, irrigation, pesticide use, and soil erosion.
“Canada is a global leader in the production of high-quality, nutritious, and sustainable cereal grains,” said Mark Walker, vice-president of markets and trade. “These reports confirm that Canadian farmers grow some of the most sustainable crops in the world.”
The data, comparing Canadian production to that in countries like the United States, Australia, France, Italy, and Sweden, highlights Canada’s strong performance in several areas. One notable strength is the widespread use of conservation management practices tailored to regional needs. These practices have helped Canadian soils store large amounts of soil organic carbon, effectively making them a significant carbon sink. As a result, the carbon footprint of wheat grown in Canada is generally lower than in other major producing nations.
In addition, these sustainable practices have led to a considerable drop in soil erosion across Canadian croplands. The adoption of modern farming technologies and conservation strategies has allowed Canadian farmers to meet growing demands for sustainable food production.
“Canadian farmers have responded to demands for sustainable food production by adopting technologies and conservation management practices that have reduced the environmental impact of Canadian grain production,” said Walker. “These reports will be a useful tool in helping us communicate the sustainability of Canadian cereals to our global customers in existing and potential markets, and to policy makers here at home.”
Read the reports at Cereals Canada - Sustainability.
Photo Credit: sustainability-report