SSCA Carbon Committee update
By Jocelyn Velestuk, President
Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association
1.0 Introduction
The Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association (SSCA) Carbon Committee has been moving forward as representing Saskatchewan farmers in policy creation for soil carbon sequestration. The SSCA’s history in soil carbon over the past 30 plus years has built the foundation for our position in government discussions on soil carbon sequestration on agriculture soils.
The Prairie Soil Carbon Balance project (PSCB) has continued to be a basis for many conversations on carbon sequestration. The PSCB project is one of the longest and most comprehensive studies to measure soil carbon change and provides data on moving forward with net C sequestration in Saskatchewan agricultural soils.
2.0 Soil Carbon Sequestration Protocol Working Group
The SSCA was contacted to have three seats at the Saskatchewan Soil Carbon Sequestration Protocol Working Group which commenced with the first meeting on March 11, 2020. Attendees of this meeting also included a representative from APAS, SARM, two representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and four representatives from the Ministry of Environment (see Table 1). The deliverables of the group includes a made‐in‐Saskatchewan offset protocol concerning the sequestration of carbon in agricultural soils that is based in sound science. The intent is for the protocol to be proposed to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) for adoption in the federal GHG offset system.
Soil Carbon Sequestration Protocol Working Group
John Bennett, SSCA Carbon Advisory Committee
Jim Stalwick, SSCA Carbon Advisory Committee
Jocelyn Velestuk, SSCA
Richard Boulding, APAS
Norm Nordgulen, SARM
Kyle McDonald (Co‐chair), SK Ministry of Environment
Ron Eley (Co‐chair), SK Ministry of Agriculture
Jared Ward, SK Ministry of Environment
Adam Gorr, SK Ministry of Environment
Dave Stevenson, SK Ministry of Environment
Ken Panchuk, SK Ministry of Agriculture
There will be two phases:
Phase 1 will involve a supplier to complete a literature review of measuring agricultural soil carbon sequestration. The review will include a summary of existing agriculture soil carbon sequestration protocols, other pertinent documents and information to provide a more robust understanding of sequestration methodologies, including rates of sequestration and emission from biological sinks, as well as eligibility requirements and other best practices, including permanency, reversals and monitoring.
Phase 2 is the development of the draft protocol with guidance from the technical working group. The protocol will incorporate information gained from the literature review and is expected to reflect best practices and best available science in order to generate real, credible greenhouse gas offset credits. The contractor chosen to complete the consultation work is Viresco Solutions. The SSCA indicated concerns with potential conflict of interest to the technical working group. There was only one response to the request for proposals, therefore the government decided to go ahead with hiring Viresco to complete the work.
Viresco presented their results from the first phase literature review on July 23, 2020. Literature review results were sent via email and a virtual presentation of soil carbon measurement was given to the technical working group by Dr. Brian McConkey of Viresco. Karen Haugen‐Kozyra and Tanya Maynes from Viresco were also present for the meeting. There was much reference to the Prairie Soil Carbon Balance project in discussions with SSCA representatives on the call and Dr. McConkey. Viresco suggested that a measurement of strata combined with a model would be the best approach. There was also reference to what type of protocol and policy the measurements should pertain to. The literature review focused mainly in voluntary markets.
Throughout all meetings, SSCA representatives have been most vocal with very few comments from government representatives. The SSCA continues to guide the process according to the position based on years of carbon learnings.
3.0 SSCA’s Position
The SSCA’s has been firm in our position that the government incorporate the separation of biological sinks (agriculture and forestry) from industrial and point source regulations in Saskatchewan’s climate change framework. This separation is sanctioned by references to land use and forestry in the conservation and enhancement of anthropogenic sings and removals in the text and annexes of the United Nations climate change documents (the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement) and in Canadas Vancouver Declaration.
Developing a science‐based protocol for Soil Carbon Sequestration documenting scientific factors, data sources, and coefficient methodologies to calculate annual sequestration of carbon in SK soils is forefront in the SSCA goals on this working group. The separation of biological sinks from the industrial and point source regulations means that the Saskatchewan protocol will not include non‐scientific factors such as additionality, business‐as usual, and project start dates in the protocol. As such, the protocol will include the new and incremental soil sequestration by growers each and every year and will avoid the administrative complexities and perverse incentives inherent in the factors noted above.
It is essential that SK soil carbon credits have access to the national and international markets because of the lack of demand provincially. The initial submission to the federal government should make it clear that SK officials have been directed to cooperate fully in any discussions or negotiations with federal official that are necessary to make sure that market access happens. The following link to the Pan‐Canadian Greenhouse Gas Offsets Framework (Canadian Council of Ministers to the Environment) released in June 2019 outlines the federal view on creating carbon offset markets: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment‐climate‐change/services/climate‐change/pricingpollution‐how‐it‐will‐work/output‐based‐pricing‐system/carbon‐pollution‐pricing‐considerationsprotocol‐development.html
The document suggests also that if carbon offsets were signed up with a voluntary market that they would be disqualified from a regulatory market.
The submission should also note the fact that the federal government has fully recognized the shared jurisdiction in the climate change administration to allow different circumstances in difference provinces to be taken into account. These soil carbon credits are a good example of a factor that is a high priority for SK but may not be in other provinces.
The issue of voluntary vs regulatory markets will continue to be a part of discussions moving forward. The SSCA’s position is that a science‐based regulatory market is top priority. The choice is regulatory or voluntary not both. If the SSCA is not successful in influencing a regulatory type of system, a fallback position would be a voluntary system with growers owning carbon sequestration offsets, having the ability to bank/hold sequestration offsets and with a transparent price and basis discovery would be the fall back position. Voluntary markets have a poor record of returning value to the farm gate. The SSCA has been fairly aggressive in pushing for the regulatory system believing that it is worth the risk because the alternative will not work as well for grower interests.
4.0 Future plans
Communication of the SSCA’s position on soil carbon offsets and the work the SSCA is undertaking on the farmers’ behalf is becoming more important. The SSCA has received many questions regarding farmers signing agreements to sell their carbon offsets to aggregators. Information to growers will help them make the best decision for their farm operation, but currently there is not enough solid information available.
The SSCA proposes to create a communication plan involving a series of articles on soil carbon sequestration as well as some press releases. While the SSCA is currently undertaking all the work on voluntary time of the farm board members and committee members, there is further resources required at this time to take the next step. In‐kind resources from supporting organizations may be requested for this and/or an outside contractor hired to complete the communications work.
Undertaking a Prairie Soil Carbon Balance II project would include collecting data on different practices and their effect on soil carbon change over time. Furthering the data set from focusing on the no‐till practice in annual cropping systems and building to include practices such as cover crops, crop rotations, forages in rotation, and grasslands will allow the future carbon offsets system to add in elements of practice other than no‐till/continuous cropping annual systems. The Prairie Soil Carbon Balance project has been incredibly valuable in making sure farmers have a seat at the table with a solid data set to guide the direction and give the SSCA credibility. Furthering the data will build on the current data while following the same protocol for soil carbon measurement over different management to create a more comprehensive and ongoing data set.
The SSCA representatives will continue to meet with the technical working group throughout the protocol and policy creation process to maintain the farmers’ voice. Guidance from the Carbon Advisory Committee as well as the SSCA board of directors is very important during this process. The ongoing backing of the organizations supporting the SSCA’s involvement will always be a strength in having a seat at the table. Please see Table 2 listing our support groups.
Organization
Agriculture Producers Association of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities
Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association
Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission
Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission
Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission
Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission
Saskatchewan Oat Development Commission
Saskatchewan Pulse Development Commission
Soil Conservation Council of Canada
The SSCA would like to thank all that have supported and put their time thus far into the soil carbon offsets file.
If you have any questions about the SSCA or the Carbon Committee, please contact Tanya Craddock, SSCA Executive Director, at 306-371-4213 or info@ssca.ca.