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MISSION STATEMENTS

It is the mission of CANN₂ONET to:

Harness innovation in science and in socio-economic understanding to meet Canada’s commitment to reduction in nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils
Design agricultural systems specific to Canada’s regions for sustainable food production, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and that support social well-being and rural livelihoods
Contribute to a national roadmap towards achieving a net-zero carbon food production system

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Meeting reduction targets involves innovation in science and a thorough understanding of social and economic factors and policy instruments
Collaborative integration of expertise of stakeholders in the agri-food system is required to meet Canada’s commitment in the reduction of nitrous oxide emissions
Involvement of the following stakeholders is essential to achieving the mission: farmers, industry, processors, retailers, and governmental and University researchers
Need to integrate and support ECCC and AAFC efforts in NIR and protocol development
Need to integrate and support Federal C Market System and GHG reduction incentives

RESEARCH FRAMEWORK
& MEMBER INTEREST AREAS

MEMBERS

CANN₂ONET has almost fifty members from Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Environment & Climate Change Canada, industry associations, major Canadian universities including Alberta, British Columbia, Dalhousie, Guelph, McGill, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, and a few international universities including Durham in England and Katholieke Leuven in Belgium. Members include researchers and scientists, modelers, professors, industry specialists, and postdoctoral fellows and graduate students.

Founders

CLAUDIA WAGNER-RIDDLE
University of Guelph
School of Environmental Sciences
Professor
Much of Claudia’s research relates to greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and provides information to farming organizations and government to help them make policy decisions. Claudia’s research identifies which greenhouse gas emissions are associated with certain agricultural practices to determine more environmentally friendly methods. Her research also looks at soil health and its impact on soil ecosystem services such as water quality, water filtration by soils, and all that soil can do to reduce the impact of greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more about Claudia’s research here.

MARIO TENUTA
University of Manitoba
Department of Soil Science
Senior Industrial Research Chair & Professor
Dr. Mario Tenuta is a full professor in the Department of Soil Sciences and heads the Applied Soil Ecology Lab. His training includes a B.Sc. in Botany and Physical Geography, an M.Sc. in Soil Science, a Ph.D. in Plant Sciences, and Post-Doctoral research in Nematology. From 2006 to 2017 he served as the Canada Research Chair in Applied Soil Ecology. Mario is one of nine leading researchers in the Canadian 4R Research Network (supported by Fertilizer Canada and Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Agri-Innovation Program). Most recently, Mario was named the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Industrial Research Chair (IRC) in 4R Nutrient Stewardship. Read more about Mario’s research here.

Researchers

AARON GLENN
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Research Scientist

ALFONS WEERSINK
University of Guelph
Department of Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics
Professor
Read more about Alfons’ research here.

DAVID BURTON
Dalhousie University
Department of Plant, Food, & Environmental Sciences
Professor
David’s research examines the role of the soil environment in influencing the nature and extent of microbial metabolism in soil. His focus has been on processes in nitrogen cycling in soils and their implications for soil fertility and environmental impact. David’s current research programs involve an examination of the production and consumption of greenhouse gases in natural and agricultural landscapes, the development of tools for the measurement of soil nitrogen supply to plants, influence of climate on soil biological processes, and the assessment of the quality of the soil biological environment and its influence on soil health. Over the past decade his work has focused on potato production in Atlantic Canada. It is the aim of this work to better understand the factors that control soil microbial processes and to use this information to developing sustainable land management systems in a changing climate. Learn more about David’s research here.

GUILLERMO HERNANDEZ
University of Alberta
Department of Renewable Resources
Associate Professor

JOANN WHALEN
McGill University
Department of Natural Resource Sciences
Professor
Joann K. Whalen holds an endowed research chair as a James McGill Professor of Soil Science at McGill University and is an Adjunct Professor at Gansu Agricultural University, China. She received her Ph.D. from Ohio State University (USA) and is a professional agronomist in Quebec, Canada. She teaches courses in soil fertility, soil ecology and environmental soil chemistry. Her research on the biological aspects of nitrous oxide production considers the physiology and biochemistry of soil denitrifiers in a dynamic soil matrix, and she also examines how fertilizer management and other agronomic practices affect nitrous oxide emissions at the field and farm-scale. Learn more about Joann’s research here.

KATE CONGREVES
University of Saskatchewan
Department of Plant Sciences
Assistant Professor

ROLAND KRÖEBEL
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Research Scientist
Roland leads the development of AAFC’s whole-farm model Holos, which translates the Canada’s National GHG Inventory to the farm level, and at the same time works on finding ways and means to update the inventory to account more accurately for farmers attempts to reduce their GHG emissions. Read more about Roland’s research here.

RICH FARRELL
University of Saskatchewan
College of Agriculture and Bioresources
Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Research Chair in Soil Biological Processes and Associate Professor

SEAN SMUKLER
University of British Columbia
Associate Professor
Sean Smukler is the Chair of Agriculture and the Environment, an Associate Professor, and Associate Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia. He currently leads the Sustainable Agricultural Landscapes Laboratory which currently focuses on research ways to help farmers adapt to climate change and improve the sustainability of their farming practices specifically as they relate to soils. Sean received a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of California, Davis where he also did his undergraduate studies. He holds an MSc. in Forest Soils from the University of Washington, Seattle. Learn more about Sean’s research here.

SURENDRA KULSHRESHTHA
University of Saskatchewan
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Professor

TONGZHE LI
University of Guelph
Department of Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics
Assistant Professor
Tongzhe is an assistant professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics (FARE) at the University of Guelph and founding director of FARE Lab for Experimental and Applied Economics. She combines economic theory and behavioral approaches, such as field or laboratory experiments, to understand the economic and political context of a problem. Read more about Tongzhe’s research here.

TRISTAN SKOLRUD
University of Saskatchewan
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Assistant Professor
Read about Tristan here.

WARD SMITH
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Senior Agroecosystem Modeler
Dr Ward Smith integrates new knowledge from agronomic experiments into process-based models and applies them to investigate the impacts of agricultural management practices on crop productivity, soil organic carbon, greenhouse gas emissions, ammonia volatilization and nutrient losses to tile drains and runoff. Ward leads and collaborates in several international studies focused on improving and inter-comparing agricultural models. Read more about Ward’s research here.

XIAOPENG GAO
University of Manitoba
Department of Soil Science
Assistant Professor
Dr. Gao’s research focuses on understanding nutrient cycling and optimizing soil fertility and nutrient management practices in sustainable agricultural systems. His interests in greenhouse gas studies include 1) 4R nitrogen stewardship to reduce nitrous oxide emissions; 2) meta-analysis of nitrous oxide emissions as affected by agricultural practices at the national and global scales; and 3) impact of animal grazing and nutrient management on nitrous oxide production/emission from grasslands. Read more about Xiaopeng’s research here.

Research Associates

AARON DE LAPORTE
University of Guelph
Department of Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics
Senior Research Associate

ARUMUGAM THIAGARAJAN
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Physical Scientist
Arumugam is an expert in soil organic carbon and other agri-environmental indicators. His research focuses on carbon and nitrogen cycling in agricultural croplands, and he uses data mining techniques, mathematic modeling, and modern science data tools to solve challenges in large-scale scientific investigations. Arumugam is part of the Pollutant Inventory and Reporting division managing the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use sector following IPCC guidelines.

BARBARA BRUNSCHWEIGER
University of Alberta
Visiting Researcher

BHARAT SHRESTHA
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Soil Health and Fertility Development
Biology Study Lead

BRIAN GRANT
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Agroecosystem Modeler / Developer
Brian’s research at Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada involves the development and application of mechanistic models (DNDC v.CAN, DayCent) to evaluate the environmental sustainability and resiliency of Canadian agricultural systems under present and future climate. This research includes the assessment of major field cropping systems (i.e. canola, wheat, corn, soybean) under innovative management (i.e. 4R, cover cropping) as well as the evaluation of nutrient and water dynamics of full-farm livestock facility waste management systems. Learn more about Brian’s research here.

CHANG LIANG
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Uses Section
Agricultural Scientist

CRAIG DRURY
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Research Scientist

DAVID PELSTER
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Research Scientist
Dr. David Pelster received his Ph.D. in 2009 from Lakehead University, Canada, where he specialized in nitrogen cycling in boreal forest systems. He then moved to Quebec City to work as a post-doctoral fellow with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada investigating soil nitrogen cycling in and greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes from agricultural soils. Dr. Pelster then worked for 4 ½ years at the International Livestock Research Institute in Nairobi, Kenya studying nitrogen cycling and GHG fluxes in smallholder, mixed crop-livestock agricultural systems in eastern Africa. Dr. Pelster returned to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Quebec City in November 2017, where he studies soil-atmosphere gas exchanges in agricultural systems.

DEREK HUNT
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Research Biologist

DOUG MACDONALD
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Uses Section
Manager / Section Head

ERIN SMITH
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Research Scientist
Erin’s research for AAFC focuses on ago-ecosystem productivity and health, agriculture-environment interactions, nutrient cycling, water and nutrient management, and climate change mitigation. Read more about her publications here.

HABEN ASGEDOM TEDLA
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Research Scientist

KEITH GABERT
Canola Council of Canada
Agronomy Specialist

KIRSTEN HANNAM
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Research Scientist
Kirsten is a research scientist at Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada’s Summerland Research & Development Centre, in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. Her research program focusses primarily on soil, water and crop management for climate resilience and resource-use efficiency in woody perennial fruit production. Read more about Kirsten’s research here.

HONGXING HE
McGill University
Research Associate

KUI LIU
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Research Scientist

MARTIN BOULERICE
New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Fisheries
Climate Change Specialist

SANDRA YANNI
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Research Scientist

SHABTAI BITTMAN
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Research Scientist

TREVOR COATES
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Research Scientist
Trevor’s current research focuses on the use of precision agricultural technologies, remote sensing tools and micrometeorological techniques to measure agriculture’s environmental impacts, support greenhouse gas mitigation solutions and reduce agricultural losses. Read more about Trevor’s research here.

Students & Post Docs

CARMEN PEREZ
University of Manitoba
Postdoctoral Fellow

ERIN DALY
University of Alberta
PhD Candidate

FAEZEH PARASTESH
University of Manitoba
Department of Soil Science
Graduate Research Student
Faezeh is an MSc student whose research deals with the soil profile characterization of greenhouse gases in clay soil and inference to production and consumption processes and conditions in the soil leading to surface fluxes. She is using the TGAS-MAN long-term research site near Glenlea, MB for her studies. Faezeh is co-supervised by Dr. Xiaopeng Gao, the 4R IRC incremental faculty hire and professor of soil fertility and agronomy in the Department of Soil Science.

KEUNBAE KIM
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
Department of Forest, Nature and Landscape
PhD Candidate

KODY OLESON
University of Manitoba
Department of Soil Science
Graduate Research Student
Kody is an MSc student studying the influence of 4R nitrogen management practices on indirect emissions of nitrous oxide (N₂O) through leaching and subsequent denitrification of nitrate (NO₃^–). His research took place in western Manitoba where soils are light, well-draining, and low in organic matter content.

MATTHEW BALL
Durham University
Department of Geography
Matthew is a BSc Geography student at Durham University in the UK. His primary focus surrounds nitrous oxide emissions from agroecosystems in the context of climate change. Specifically, working with nitrogen, climate and land-use models to forecast the impacts of climate change on agroecosystems and subsequently, the greenhouse gas emissions they emit. He also has experience regarding sustainable agricultural development and sustainable finance. Read more about Matthew here.

M. JUNAID AFZAL
University of Manitoba
Department of Soil Science
Graduate Research Student
Junaid is an MSc student conducting large-scale field research trials in south-central Manitoba to determine if applying anhydrous ammonia in fall with Nitrification Inhibitors can slow down nitrification and reduce fall nitrogen (N) rate requirements, in order to prevent N losses due to nitrification and leaching. His research will improve our understanding of inhibiting nitrification and also allow us to compare the recently developed CENTURO® with the more commonly used N-Serve®.

RIDA SABIROVA
University of Manitoba
Department of Soil Science
PhD Candidate
Rida is a PhD candidate from Russia investigating indirect emissions of N as ammonia from sandy soils with multiple urease inhibitor products and varying urease inhibitor concentrations. She will use a method of measuring ammonia volatilization recently developed by Victoria Deakin, an Applied Soil Ecology Lab NSERC undergraduate student. A large part of Rida’s PhD is modelling 4R practices; in collaboration with AAFC-Ottawa and the University of Guelph, Rida will first determine existing gaps in the Canada-DNDC model that prevent 4R practices to be simulated, and then use datasets from the Lab’s past and current field projects to incorporate 4R practices into the model.

SAKSHI
University of Manitoba
Department of Soil Science
Graduate Research Student
Sakshi recently began her MSc research at the University of Manitoba. Her research will focus on direct and indirect nitrous oxide emissions from soil and the impact of nitrification inhibitors, and fertilizer placement, rate, and timing.

SHANNON MUSTARD
University of Manitoba
Department of Soil Science
Graduate Research Student
Shannon completed a BSc in Agriculture from the University of Guelph and recently began her MSc research at the University of Manitoba, where she is studying the relationship between synthetic fertilizer application, nitrification inhibitors, and N₂O emissions from sandy loam soil in south-western Manitoba. The Trace Gas Harvest Moon site will be established spring 2022 and the first year will focus on developing a comprehensive site analysis. The second year will apply a flux gradient technique to collect continuous gas samples from the control (NO NIs) and treatment (NI) plots.

YUFENG WU
University of Manitoba
Graduate Research Student

Last Updated: December 14, 2021