This op-ed article appeared in Farmtario and the Western Producer during the week of April 7th.

As Canadians prepare to vote in the federal election, it is important that we hold our candidates and their leaders accountable on their campaign promises. Recent announcements by all political parties have highlighted plans for infrastructure development, including assistance building affordable homes across the country.

How do they plan to accomplish this? Where will they build? Does this mean more prime farmland needed to produce food will be removed from production?

The agriculture sector continues to voice its concerns as candidates make promises to build housing and infrastructure, with little regard for conserving farmlands.

These lacklustre development plans put our soils at risk, which threatens Canada’s food security and ability to continue feeding our nation for years to come. This must be considered when governments are planning to commit more land for development and infrastructure.

Canada is at risk of losing more of its essential healthy and productive soils – statistics show that Ontario alone is losing 319 acres of farmland every day. That’s equivalent to 1,876 NHL-sized hockey rinks.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has called on governments to be more strategic when planning future developments and continues to provide meaningful solutions to the housing crisis faced by many people across this country.

The path to better land use planning is clear: Build up, not out – and collaborate with municipalities to create official plans that support and protect an agricultural system that includes fixed urban boundaries.

Mandate high density development around transit hubs and corridors. Take a smart, responsible approach to energy and industrial development and maximize existing infrastructure corridors where possible, taking less prime agricultural land out of production.

It is important that government leaders consider the value of farmland when making their promises and commitments. Climate change is causing more extreme weather events and soil degradation – a decline in the soil’s ability to grow food, hold water or support plants and animals – continues to occur across our nation and around the world. Both impact farmers’ ability to grow crops and raise livestock.

Healthy soils support cleaner air and water, enhance biodiversity, and even mitigate climate change. They also support food security to ensure we can feed our nation. Farmland is vital to our survival and well-being and must be treated as such. Canadians must hold our leaders accountable to ensure these concerns are heard.

The Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry’s recent report on soil health clearly highlighted the need to protect Canada’s farmland. The first recommendation was to designate soil a strategic national asset so that we can ensure food security for Canadians, now and for years to come.

With soil degradation occurring all around the world, we cannot rely on importing our food.  We must remain a food sovereign nation. We cannot achieve this if we continue to develop on agricultural land that is home to reliable and arable soils.

It is important that all levels of government work together to protect our soil, our prime agricultural land, and our farmers. Canadian farmers and researchers can use innovation, artificial intelligence, and develop new, sustainable practices to grow more food per acre, but we cannot grow more acres of land, and we cannot access the rich, nutrient-dense soils once it has been paved over.

It is crucial to protect the farmland we have now, or we will run out of the land we need to feed our nation.

During this federal election, we encourage you to stay informed on the promises candidates are making. Read their platforms and ask more questions on how they intend to preserve our farmland and support food security in Canada. It is our right and indeed it is our responsibility, to protect farmland and our food sovereignty.

Senator Rob Black is a passionate advocate for agriculture and was chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry prior to the federal election. He represents Ontario in the Senate of Canada.

Drew Spoelstra is a grain and dairy farmer near Hamilton, Ontario and is the current President of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). The OFA is the leading advocate for Ontario farmers.