National Soil Conservation Week happens during the third week of April each year.

This year the Soil Conservation Council of Canada (SCCC) is highlighting the importance of soil health and soil science to our economy and our future.

Soil produces 95% of the food we eat. It is a living, breathing system that provides nutrients and water to crops as well as homes to billions of soil organisms. These organisms feed growing crops by turning dead plant material into useable nutrients. They also help create soil organic matter, which holds water and reduces the risk of soil erosion. Even though healthy soil is critical to the economic and environmental sustainability of the agri-food industry, it is increasingly under stress.

These stresses include:

- the expansion of our cities and communities;

- increased demands on soils to grow food for growing populations;

- changes in cropping, tillage and other practices that can degrade soil health; and

- increased frequency of extreme weather due to climate change, which can speed up soil degradation.

The annual cost of soil degradation in Canada is estimated at over $3 billion each and every year. SCCC says Farmers and land users need support to implement best management practices that mitigate many of these risks, adding it's up to all Canadians to do their part.