Grant: Alliance Grants

Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) is located within a climate-driven agricultural frontier (i.e., Boreal shield ecozone), which means agricultural expansion is a possible solution to regional food insecurity. However, the challenge of meeting net zero emissions in Canada by 2050 requires innovative agricultural practices for increasing food production while achieving greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation targets. There is a long-standing tradition of using seaweed (SW) as fertilizer in coastal areas across the globe including NL. Recent studies showed that SW contains the chemical bromoform which, when fed to cows, stops the production of the powerful GHG methane. The same microorganisms responsible for producing methane in the stomachs of cows are also found in soils whereby methane release is controlled by soil environmental conditions. To date, there is no published research on the role of SW as a GHG mitigator when applied as a fertilizer to agricultural soils. Shorefast, a registered Fogo Island-based charity, is currently exploring seaweed farming. In partnership with Shorefast and Food First NL, a provincial non-profit food security organization, farmers, Mi'kmaq elders and community members we will co-evaluate the GHG mitigation potential of SW in agricultural soils by: 1) understanding the different ways SW is used as a fertilizer in NL; 2) measuring bromoform concentrations in SW; 3) evaluating the impact of SW on GHG emission under laboratory, pot, and field conditions from agricultural soils; 4) building a model to simulate the role of agriculture, and the physical-chemical-biological properties of soils on GHG emissions during SW application; 5) predicting the carbon footprint of using SW as a fertilizer by coupling the model developed to a life cycle analysis-economic model; and 6) mobilizing the results to diverse community and stakeholder audiences. With an emphasis on coastal regions, this research builds on the ingenuity of past generations to innovate for the future and will advance our ability to make evidence-based recommendations for GHG mitigation in the agricultural sector.