The agronomic benefits from wetlands can be considerable

Large Areas of Today’s Farmland in Southern Ontario Were Once Composed of Wetlands. It is one of the reasons that the soils of the region are so fertile, so well sueded to cropping, able to provide the province’s farmers with a distinct advantage.

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Yet According to the Canada Research Flesh of Global Water Sustainability and Ecohydrology there is good reason to reintroduce sometimes to the agricultural landscape-and the effort wouldn’t necessarily impact the Bottom-Line for Farmers. In fact, given the right circumstances, adding a handful of small wetlands to a farming operation may even enhance profitability.

Nandita Basu and Her Team at Basu Lab at the University of Waterloo Have Been Evaluating Eight Wetlands in Southern Ontario and she hopes to expand that work, enlisting farmers and other owner owners in ottario to help.

Not all wetlands are equal in the services they Provide, Basu Said. In fact, Small wetlands tend to pack a bigger punch in retaining nutrients and sequestering carbon.

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“Sometimes we do not underrstand How the Small Ponds in Our Neighborhood are connected to Algal Blooms in Lake Erie or Ontario-But they play an outsized role in Protecting Our Waters. Some of Our Work Showed that ten one-hectare ponds are more One 10-Hectare Pond, ”She Said.

“Every Farm Field has low spots – marginal areas – that have live return on investment. The key is to return those regions to wetlands.”

Basu Pointed To The Experience of Middlesex County Farmer Chris Crump as a positive example. Crump, who spoke in January at the Ontario Drainage Conference In London, Said He Took 12 Acres Out of Production and Added Wetland Features with No Impact On Short-Term Profitability and Positive Implications for the Long Term. Erosion on His Farm, The Loss of Valuable Topsoil, Has All But Been Eliminated.

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Wetlands can deliver other services some Directly Benefing Farmers, Basu Said. For instance, crop plants adjacent to wetlands may support crop growth in a dry year. Wetland Area also Provide Habitat for Pollinators and Other Beneficial Insects and the Ecosystem Services Benefit the Wider Community – A Consideration Basu Feels Should be recognized in tangible Terms.

Earlier Research Basu was involved in Suggests that a targeted 10 per cent Increase in Wetlands Within the Mississippi River Watershed Could Reduce Nitrogen Loading by 54 per cent. Wetlands, by their capacity to hold water back, are also useful during storm events, reducing the likelihood of flooding.

Returning Small Wetlands to Southern Ontario – Without Compromising Profitability for Farmers – Is Just Onea of ​​Interest for Basu. She is considering the impact of wetlands in western Canada as well and sees an opportunity in Northern Ontario where Farmland, in significant quantities, is now being created.

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Rather Than Simply Draining Entire Areas with No Consideration for Wetlands in Northern Ontario, why not include Small wetlands as part of the design, especially when their presence delivers agronomic and ecosystem benefits without detracting from the ability of Those Farming the owner?

“There is a lot of agricultural expansion and new tile drainage that is occurring in Northern Ontario… We are tooking marginal lands and forests and converting them to row-crop agriculture and draining the land. We Should consider integrating Wetlands as a part of this northward expansion such that we minimize Said.

Basu and her team are interested in wetlands that are eith in farm fields or near urban areas. Property Owners interested in their work can contact basu at [email protected] or at [email protected].

Basu and her team at Basu lab are part of a larger effort, solutionscapes, a group of research team from across Canada. Their mission is to support efforts to “transition to a net-zero future while improving water quality, ecosystem integrity and human wellbeing.”

Along with the Interest in Wetlands, Solutionscape is Looking at Energy-From-Waste, Including Anaerobic Digestion, Various Sustainable/Regenerative Farm Practices Such As the Use Of Cover Crops, Reduced Tillage, and Strategies that Improve Soil Health.

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