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New Research Shows Agricultural Impacts on Soil Microbiome and Fungal Communities

New research from Smithsonian's Bird Friendly Coffee program highlights a type of biodiversity that often gets overlooked: soil bacteria and fungal communities. For over twenty years, Smithsonian research has shown that coffee farms with shade trees protect more biodiversity than intensified, monoculture coffee farms.

The new research, published in Applied Soil Ecology, shows that  and fungi on coffee farms also respond to the intensity of coffee farm management.

To conduct this research, the team collected soil samples on coffee farms in Colombia, El Salvador, and Peru and used DNA analysis to profile bacterial and fungal soil on farms with different management regimes. They found that farming coffee as a monoculture alters the soil microbiome in both community composition and . But not all shade-grown  were the same.

The soil microbiomes on farms with native  were different than on farms with non-native, introduced species of shade trees as well. Soil microbiomes in the tropics are poorly understood, and this research demonstrates the incredible diversity within soils in tropical agricultural landscapes across Latin America.

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2024 AGM Day 1 Panel - Succession Planning & Risk Management

Video: 2024 AGM Day 1 Panel - Succession Planning & Risk Management

Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census of Agriculture indicates that 75% of all farms operating in Canada operate as sole proprietorships or family partnerships. While incorporated farms make up just over a third of Canadian farm operations most of those are also family-run corporations. If the issue of farm succession planning is not on the minds of Canadian farm producers, it probably should be. That same Statistics Canada Census of Agriculture indicates that the average age of a Canadian farmer is 56 years of age with the 55 plus age group becoming the fastest growing segment in Canadian agriculture.

Despite these statistics, the same Census reports that only 1 in 10 Canadian farm operations have a formal succession plan. While each farm has its unique issues when it comes to transferring the business to the next generation, there are some common topics that almost all farmers must address. Join financial, legal, and tax experts to learn about how to begin the process, key tips on ensuring a smooth transition from one generation to the next, and how to manage the strong emotions the topic can create within the family.