Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 81 2000 113–123
Canadian agri-environmental indicators related to land quality: integrating census and biophysical data to estimate soil cover,
wind erosion and soil salinity
E. Huffman
a,∗
, R.G. Eilers
b
, G. Padbury
c
, G. Wall
d
, K.B. MacDonald
e
a
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ont., Canada K1A 0C6
b
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Winnipeg, Man., Canada R3T 2N2
c
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon, Sask., Canada S7N 5A8
d
Agri-Food Laboratories, 503 Imperial Rd. N., Guelph, Ont., Canada N1H 6T9
e
Consultant, Box 354, Teeswater, Ont., Canada N0G 2S0
Abstract
A Canadian initiative to define and estimate indicators of the relationship between agricultural activities and environmental quality has been under way since 1993. This paper focuses on those indicators related to land quality and highlights the use of
GIS to reconfigure land use and climatic data to a soil landscape spatial model in order to apply models of soil degradation. The 1981 and 1991 Census of agriculture data from a cadastral base and climatic indices from iso-contour maps are related
to the soil landscapes of Canada to identify trends in the amount of soil cover, the risk of soil erosion by wind and the risk of soil salinization. Results indicate that soil cover has improved by about 11 through the use of conservation tillage and crop
residue management and reduced summerfallowing, and that the risk of wind erosion in the prairies has decreased by 7 in the 10 years. The risk of soil salinization has remained constant on 93 of cropland, decreased on 7 and increased on
1. It appears that the improvements in soil quality protection have occurred despite some shifts to more intensive cropping systems. Crown Copyright © 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Indicators; Land quality; Census of agriculture; Soil cover; Wind erosion; Soil salinity
1. Introduction
Over the past two decades, increasing awareness of the fragility of ecosystems and concern for the state
of the environment has focused attention on the effect of agricultural activities on soil and water quality.
In many countries, research studies and extension
∗
Corresponding author. Present address: Agriculture and Agri- Food Canada, Room 4097, K.W. Neatby Building, 960 Carling
Avenue Ottawa, Ont., Canada K1A 0C6. Tel.: +1-613-759-1846; fax: +1-613-759-1924.
E-mail address: huffmantem.agr.ca E. Huffman.
programs have been instituted by governments and universities to encourage farmers to adopt conserva-
tion practices such as forage rotations and cover crops, reduced tillage, maintenance of crop residues and re-
duced fallowing. As a result, considerable adjustment of land use and production activities has occurred.
More recently, as the concept of sustainable production becomes more accepted, decision-makers
are striving to develop environmentally friendly poli- cies and programs. The need for quantitative infor-
mation on the extent, degree and regional variability of the environmental impact of agricultural produc-
tion practices, and on the adoption of conservation
0167-880900 – see front matter Crown Copyright © 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 1 6 7 - 8 8 0 9 0 0 0 0 1 8 5 - 7
114 E. Huffman et al. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 81 2000 113–123
practices, has become immediate. The implications of this in terms of data, especially in the complex,
interrelated and broad spatial context of ecosystems, is massive. In the absence of complete information
about these relationships, the concept of a small number of indicators serving as proxies for a wider
variety of parameters has been proposed. In addition, the use of indicators as expressions of information
rather than as hard data serves as a means of deliver- ing information to decision-makers and the public in
an understandable manner.
In 1993, in response to recommendations by the Auditor General of Canada, the Canadian Agri-Food
Research Council, the Federal-Provincial Agricul- ture Committee on Environmental Sustainability and
the scientific community, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada AAFC initiated the Agri-Environmental In-
dicators AEI project. The expressed goal of AEI was to develop an information base that decision-makers
could rely on for environmental conditions and trends in Canadian agriculture. A range of indicators are be-
ing developed to assess the degree to which key envi- ronmental issues are being addressed. The objectives
are to help identify areas and resources at risk of degra- dation, to help design and target remediation strategies
and to facilitate communication. The project is guided by an advisory committee consisting of representatives
of producer groups, non-governmental organizations, universities and federal and provincial governments.
For the agricultural AEI project, a framework recog- nizing the cycle of cause and effect amongst farm
management, resources and social pressures and mod- eled primarily on Australian and OECD ideas, was
adopted McRae et al., 1995. Within this framework, selection criteria were established to ensure that
each indicator was: 1 relevant to policy issues; 2 scientifically acceptable and defensible; 3 understan-
dable to decision-makers; 4 reflective of time and or spatial change; and 5 feasible to obtain or develop.
A review of international indicator initiatives and Canadian policy issues, stakeholder consultations
and an assessment of data availability and scientific expertise resulted in an initial list of 49 potential agri-
cultural indicators. Through an iterative consultation process these were integrated and condensed to six
core indicators with various components Table 1.
Indicators and their components are either under development tillage erosion, soil compaction, carbon
Table 1 Canadian agri-environmental indicators and associated components
Indicators Components
Risk of soil degradation Water erosion
Wind erosion Salinization
Tillage erosion Soil compaction
Organic carbon change
Farm resource management Soil cover and land management
Inputs management Risk of water contamination
Nitrogen Phosphorus
Pesticides Greenhouse gas balance
Methane CH
4
Carbon dioxide CO
2
Nitrous oxide N
2
O Biodiversity change
Species Habitat
Input use efficiency Irrigation
Chemicals and energy
change, pesticide contamination, are being assessed in pilot areas phosphorus contamination, biodiversity
change, input use efficiency or are being applied in all agricultural areas of the country. The remainder of
this paper focuses on the soil cover, wind erosion and salinity indicators.
2. Materials and methods
