Why soil matters?

Why soils matters

- A european perspective

Proceedings of the Conference

We should really be cracking

down on fertilisers as a

solution to climate change,

but the Climate Smart

Agriculture rhetoric is being

used by the fertiliser industry

to avoid that crackdown.’

Teresa Anderson

alliance also includes corporations such as McDonald’s

and Wallmart.

Agribusinesses use the term ‘CSA’ incorrectly, without

questioning the use of synthetic fertilisers which limit

carbon capture in the soil. As members of the alliance,

the fertiliser industry is able to plead for solutions and can

therefore claim to be part of the solution. For instance, the

fertiliser industry proclaims their ambition to reduce slightly

the amount of emissions per litre of fertiliser and presents

this claim as an improvement and thus solution towards

climate change concerns. Teresa Anderson firmly warned

us against this greenwashing rhetoric, which actually

reflects the crackdown on fertilisers.

Teresa Anderson pointed out the urgent need to prevent

these deviations coming from industry, and to

stop

presenting fertilisers as a solution to climate change

In fact, accepting this so-called solution could increase the

market access of fertiliser industries to some countries in

Africa and Asia for example, which would be completely

perverse from a climate and agriculture point of view.

But Teresa Anderson also explained that it is not easy

to reject CSA altogether, as there are also many good

initiatives coming from it. Some organic organisations are

calling themselves climate smart; the French government

has recently joined the GACSA, stating that it will try to push

the CSA debate towards agroecology. Some organisations

have also joined the Alliance to promote the true uses of

this term. But, as the process began with the involvement

of agro-industry, if we redefine the term now, said Teresa

Anderson, it will nevertheless continue to be used by

industry as it sees fit.

In other terms, Teresa Anderson said that CSA complicates

much of what ActionAid and similar organisations wish to

achieve for soil in climate negotiations.

Unfortunately, the issue of

fertiliser use was not on the

table during COP21 negotiations, and neither was

agroecology

Teresa Anderson concluded that COP21 was not the right

place to expect solutions for agriculture. The right place

and the right ways to incentivise soil protection need to be

found, but these were not in Paris.

Teresa concluding by saying:

‘Soils really are about saving

planet earth, but also saving the planet’s earth.’

“Soils really are about saving planet earth,

but also saving the planet’s earth.”