(Note: This post is a continuation of our series on highlighting the graduate course UNIV*6050: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Agri-Food Systems. Click here to read our first post and follow along as we share more about the outcomes.)

Digging Deep into Soil Health with Graduate Course UNIV*6050 

Students in graduate course UNIV*6050: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Agri-Food Systems were tasked with gathering evidence-based information and best practices to support the development of a circular and sustainable mixed-use community called Harvest Village, which is currently in planning by community partner Redwood Properties. A previous blog post described student projects that looked at regulatory challenges, funding opportunities and sustainable logistics for the property. 

Soil health is an incredibly important component of overall ecosystem health; it impacts plant growth, nutrient cycling and water regulation. Some practices that have been used in agricultural systems – such as monocropping, tillage, and lack of precision in the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides – can negatively impact soil health. Other practices, commonly discussed under the umbrella term of ‘regenerative agriculture’, focus on enhancing biodiversity and minimizing soil disturbance, and have been practiced by some farmers for many years. 

Test Your Soil Health 

The student team began their work by conducting an analysis of the soil currently on the site to understand its chemical, physical and biological properties – essentially, the current state of the soil. Conducted regularly, soil health tests help growers to understand their soils, pinpoint areas for improvement, and evaluate whether their activities are having a positive impact. It will be important for Harvest Village to regularly test whether their regenerative practices are impacting soil health to ensure that the organization’s goals for the cropping system are being achieved. 

Infographic developed by UNIV*6050 students on improving soil health.

Recommended Regenerative Practices 

Based on a series of case studies, impactful practices and an analysis of what could work for the Harvest Village property, students recommended a series of best practices for Redwood Properties to follow, including: 

• Incorporate agroforestry, including trees that can serve as a windbreak and buffer between fields, which will help to stabilize soil and boost local biodiversity. 

• Minimize soil disturbance by reducing tillage, which can also help to promote the health of microbial communities in the soil and enhance water retention. 

• Use cover crops to keep soil covered; this can prevent erosion, suppress weeds, provide habitat for pollinators, sequester carbon and even increase subsequent crop yield. 

• Integrate livestock into the rotation, as allowing animals to graze on the field after harvest can enrich the soil with organic matter without the use of synthetic fertilizers, reduce soil compaction and support carbon sequestration. 

• Maximize the diversity of crops, using practices like intercropping or crop rotation to improve soil fertility, reduce pests and increase resilience to climate change. 

With these principles in mind, students developed a science-backed 3-year crop rotation plan for the property. They included rotation options for cash crop farming (corn/soybean/winter wheat), alongside suggested cover crops and livestock integration (cattle and sheep, which could also provide meat, milk or wool) to maximize the health of the soil if Redwood Properties continues cash crop farming. 

Keeping the possibility open for Redwood Properties to plant horticultural field crops (fruits and vegetables) that could be integrated into a market space and sold to consumers (as envisioned by the student team that focused on agritourism), the students also recommended crop rotations for fruits and vegetables such as sweet corn, tomatoes, squash, carrots, beets, beans, peas and berries. These crops could be planted alongside companion plants – specifically recommended to pair well with the crops grown each year – that attract pollinators and deter pests. Chickens, too, could be integrated into this rotation to forage after harvest and restore soil fertility, in addition to producing eggs and meat to be sold in the market. 

By building a regenerative farm on the mixed-use Harvest Village property, Redwood Properties has the opportunity to build soil health from the ground up, integrating many of these practices as they grow their vision to reality. 

Interested in learning more about the work undertaken by student groups in this course? Read more about the work of the other groups in previous posts in this series. 

Interested in education opportunities at AFI?  Check out our educational programming at arrellfoodinstitute.ca/education or reach out to afieducation@uoguelph.ca with an expression of interest.