Soil Quality and Retention

• Criteria Overview: Read and download the Soil Quality and Retention Criteria Overview.
• Strategic Intent: Soil quality and retention is proactively managed and enhanced to ensure optimum productivity.
• Indicator: Soil quality is maintained or improved by good management practices defined in a Soil Quality Management Plan (SQMP). This plan can also include the requirements for the Soil Nutrients Criteria.
• Theory of change: The implementation of a well-developed SQMP will include a portfolio of good management practices that will help producers maintain or improve soil quality. Proactive management should consider practices to reduce soil erosion, maintain soil structure, increase tilth, improve soil water holding capacity, and drive improved productivity from the land. The SQMP will support producers and processors in making better decisions regarding soil management, which will result in better outcomes for soil quality. The DSF Soil nutrients criteria and associated reporting requirements can be an integral aspect of this reporting requirement as long as the strategic intent for each are addressed via the activity.
• Reporting Strategy: Each participating member organization that has prioritized this criterion will define what constitutes an SQMP. Member organizations will report the number of their participants who have implemented the SQMP during the period.
• Reporting Schedule: Baseline established 2017 Annual reporting period is calendar year (January 1- December 31) Reports submitted to DSF via the DSF Extranet by March 31 each subsequent year.

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