Chapter 15 Establishing a benchmark system for monitoring soil quality in Canada

Water and wind erosion, compaction (destruction of soil structure), salinization, and acidification are natural processes that deteriorate soil quality. Water erosion and salinization are the most significant degradation processes in the prairie region; water erosion, compaction, and acidification are the most important processes in the other agricultural regions of Canada. These processes are often accelerated by routine agricultural practices, such as intensive tillage, the application of chemicals, summer-fallowing, and harvesting operations. However, other agricultural activities may reduce or even reverse soil quality decline, including crop rotations and conservation tillage. Questions about the effects of current farming systems on soil quality arose in the late 1980s during discussions of sustainable agriculture. However, the data needed to evaluate these effects were generally not available or were incomplete or of questionable quality.