Canada’s agricultural greenhouse gas research initiatives: nature-based solutions for emissions reduction
摘要
This national synthesis describes ten agroforestry projects conducted across Canada from 2011 to 2021, funded by the Government of Canada, as a member of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). The projects reflect AAFC’s Strategic Plan for Science—particularly for increased productivity, resilience, sustainability and competitiveness. The funding, through the Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Program (AGGP), went to universities or other institutions in two cycles (2011–2016 and 2016–2021). The projects occurred in six of Canada’s ten provinces and were designed to be regionally appropriate and dealt with silvopasture, shelterbelts, alley cropping, riparian buffers and/or bioenergy plantations. Aboveground and belowground carbon sequestration and net emissions of N2O, CH4 and CO2 were studied in all projects, as well as other factors and agroforestry effects. Low rates of carbon sequestration of 1.4–2.0 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 were reported in the tree components of mature agroforestry systems, while the highest rates occurred in riparian buffers, averaging 7.5 Mg C ha−1 yr−1. Fast-growing species sequestered larger amounts of carbon—an average of 6.4 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in hybrid poplar in Quebec and 8.6 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in willows in Prince Edward Island. The AGGP contributed to scientific knowledge through 89 peer-reviewed journal articles, 13 MSc theses and 11 PhD dissertations. The projects included interactions with landowners, farmers and other stakeholders and information products were produced. As a condition of funding, AGGP collaborators recommended, as Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs), those practices that could be implemented.