CANADIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE INC.

What CANADIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE INC. does

The Canadian Society of Soil Science Inc. (CSSS) / La société canadienne de science du sol is a non-governmental, non-profit professional society representing scientists, engineers, technologists, administrators, and students involved in professional soil science in Canada. Headquartered historically at P.O. Box 637 in Pinawa, Manitoba, the organization is governed by a volunteer Council (President, President-Elect, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Eastern Councillor, Western Councillor, and Graduate Student Representative) and operates through standing committees covering Pedology, Soil Education, Communication, and Soil Health. Its core product is the Canadian Journal of Soil Science (CJSS), a peer-reviewed scientific journal published in partnership with Canadian Science Publishing, which members access through annual membership. The society also stewards the Canadian System of Soil Classification (CSSC), maintains the Soils of Canada information website, publishes the open-access textbook "Digging Into Canadian Soils," and surfaces emerging resources such as the SoilGPT AI tool for Canadian soil science.

CSSS's business model is funded primarily by recurring annual membership dues (processed via an external Cvent registration portal), supplemented by CJSS subscription and publication revenue routed through Canadian Science Publishing, royalties from sponsored reference books (Soil Sampling and Methods of Analysis; Soil and Environmental Science Dictionary), and member donations. The society's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: it engages its audience through a quarterly newsletter (archived 2000–2026), social media (Bluesky, Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn), an Annual Meeting (jointly hosted with peer societies, e.g., the 2026 CSSS–CSA Annual Meeting at the University of Guelph), field tours, webinars, and an awards and scholarships program. The society has no traditional equity funding rounds, no disclosed employees, and no public financials; it operates as a member-funded professional association within the IUSS international soil science network.

Name

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE INC.

Legal name

Canadian Society of Soil Science Inc.

Website

https://csss.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Canadian Society of Soil Science Inc. (CSSS) is a non-profit professional society that serves Canadian soil scientists, engineers, technologists, administrators, and students through membership, the peer-reviewed Canadian Journal of Soil Science, awards and scholarships, and annual conferences, with the Pedology Committee stewarding the Canadian System of Soil Classification.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Scientific Society (Soil Science)

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Educational Services (8200), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture & Land-Use MRV (Soil carbon, livestock, forestry/REDD+) (EUAHADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soil & Biomass Carbon Measurement (Soil Sampling, Forest Inventory, Blue Carbon) (EUABACAH), Earth Science & Geoscience Programs (EDAMABAI), Soil Testing & Nutrient Analysis Services (AFACAKAA)

Keywords

• Professional soil science society
• Soil classification research
• Scientific journal publishing
• Soil science education
• Pedology and mapping

Headquarters

HQ city

Sudbury

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: Annual membership registration/renewal fees from scientists, engineers, technologists, administrators, and students, processed through an online registration system; members also receive access to the Canadian Journal of Soil Science.
2. Journal subscription and publication revenue (Canadian Journal of Soil Science): Revenue from Canadian Journal of Soil Science (CJSS) subscriptions, member-access arrangements, and related publication-related fees via the publisher (NRC Research Press / Canadian Science Publishing).
3. Book publication royalties and sales: Royalties/sales from sponsored soil-science books (e.g., 'Digging Into Canadian Soils', 'Soil Sampling and Methods of Analysis', 'Soil and Environmental Science Dictionary').
4. CSSS Publication Assistance Fund outflows (cost-offset): Internal fund that disburses up to $1,500 per request (max 10 papers per calendar year) to support publication of CJSS papers by members with demonstrated financial need; not a revenue stream, but a structured funding allocation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Canadian Society of Soil Science (CSSS) is a non-governmental, non-profit professional society that supports soil scientists, engineers, technologists, administrators, and students through annual membership, the peer-reviewed Canadian Journal of Soil Science, annual conferences, and subject-matter committees. It also stewards the Canadian System of Soil Classification, coordinates Predictive Digital Soil Mapping and the Soil Organic Carbon Map of Canada, and administers awards, scholarships, and student travel support. Revenue is generated primarily from membership dues, journal subscriptions, and book sales/royalties.

Product overview

The Canadian Society of Soil Science (CSSS) is a non-governmental, non-profit scientific society offering a portfolio of publications, programs, committees, and tools for soil scientists in Canada. Its portfolio centers on the peer-reviewed Canadian Journal of Soil Science (CJSS) publication and the AI tool SoilGPT, alongside auxiliary offerings including open access and reference textbooks (Digging Into Canadian Soils, Soil Sampling and Methods of Analysis, Soil and Environmental Science Dictionary), the quarterly CSSS Newsletter, the Soils of Canada information website, the Grounded in Soils blog, and the Virtual Soil Science Learning Resources. Operational programs include the CSSS Annual Meeting conference series (often co-hosted, e.g., SOILS & CROPS IN FOCUS 2026 with the Canadian Society of Agronomy at the University of Guelph), the CJSS Photo Competition, the CSSS Awards Program (Fellow Award, Early Career, Karl C. Ivarson Scholarship, etc.), the CSSS Publication Assistance Fund, and the Membership Program. Subject-matter committees — the Pedology Committee (driving the 4th Edition of the Canadian System of Soil Classification and Predictive Digital Soil Mapping), the Soil Education Committee, the Soil Health Committee, the Communication Committee, and the 24WCSS Committee — coordinate specialized workstreams, while hosted events such as the CJSS Author Workshop and Publishing Your Research Panel extend CSSS's editorial and educational outreach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Canadian Journal of Soil Science (CJSS): Peer-reviewed scientific journal sponsored by the CSSS and published by Canadian Science Publishing (formerly NRC Research Press). Co-Editor-in-Chief: Dr. M. Anne Naeth.
• CSSS Publication Assistance Fund

Products and services

• Canadian Journal of Soil Science (CJSS) CSSS's flagship peer-reviewed scientific journal, published in partnership with Canadian Science Publishing (NRC Research Press), with member access bundled into CSSS membership. The journal covers soil science research and is co-Editor-in-Chief-edited by Dr. M. Anne Naeth.
• SoilGPT An AI tool for Canadian soil science, introduced and linked from the CSSS website as a new resource for the Canadian soil science community.
• CSSS Publication Assistance Fund Financial assistance program providing up to $1,500 per applicant per calendar year toward publication fees in the Canadian Journal of Soil Science for CSSS members with demonstrated financial need, with preference for early career researchers.
• Digging Into Canadian Soils: An Introduction to Soil Science Open-access introductory soil science textbook edited by Maja Krzic, Frances Walley, Amanda Diochon, Maxime Paré, and Richard Farrell (2021) and published by the Canadian Society of Soil Science, available in English and French.
• Soil Sampling and Methods of Analysis, Second Edition Edited by M.R. Carter and E.G. Gregorich (2008) and published by CRC Press and Taylor & Francis Group, sponsored by the Canadian Society of Soil Science as a soil science reference work.
• Soil and Environmental Science Dictionary Edited by E.G. Gregorich, L.W. Turchenek, M.R. Carter, and D.A. Angers (2001) and published by CRC Press, providing soil science terms with French equivalents for each term.
• CSSS Annual Meeting CSSS's flagship annual scientific conference, often held jointly with other societies (e.g., 2026 joint meeting with Canadian Society of Agronomy at University of Guelph; 2022 joint meeting with Alberta Soil Science Workshop), featuring scientific sessions, workshops, field tours, and networking events.
• CSSS Membership Program Annual membership program for scientists, engineers, technologists, administrators, and students involved in professional soil science, with member access to the Canadian Journal of Soil Science and registration/renewal processed via the CSSS website and a Cvent registration link.

Quantifiable outcome

• Submission of the Canadian Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) Map for the 0–30 cm depth interval to the UN-FAO Global Soil Organic Carbon map initiative in 2017.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Canadian Society of Agronomy (CSA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 August 2025Joint annual meeting (SOILS & CROPS IN FOCUS: Critical resources from coast to coast to coast) to be held June 20–25, 2026, at the University of Guelph. Combines two Canadian scientific societies for a shared program of scientific sessions, workshops, field tours, and networking.
• International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSSS is a member society of the IUSS (formerly ISSS), which proclaimed 2015–2024 as the International Decade of Soils. CSSS members access IUSS via the CSSS membership. IUSS co-organizes the World Congress of Soil Science (23rd WCSS, June 7–12, 2026, Nanjing, China).
• Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (GSBI) / Biological Survey of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSSS supports the 4th Global Soil Biodiversity Conference (April 12–15, 2026, Victoria, British Columbia), co-organized with the Biological Survey of Canada and GSBI.
• Soil Science Society of China (SSSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the 23rd World Congress of Soil Science, June 7–12, 2026, at the Nanjing International Expo Center in China, under the theme "Soil and the Shared Future of Humanity."
• Canadian Science Publishing (NRC Research Press)flagshipTechnology or IntegrationPublishes the Canadian Journal of Soil Science (CJSS) for CSSS and partly sponsors student travel to society meetings and conferences. The 2011 Special Issue on the Soils of Canada is hosted on its platform.
• University of Saskatchewan Open PresscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerHosts and publishes the open-access textbook 'Digging Into Canadian Soils: An Introduction to Soil Science' (2021), edited by Maja Krzic, Frances Walley, Amanda Diochon, Maxime Paré, and Richard Farrell.
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAAFC soil scientists sit on the CSSS Council (e.g., Western Councillor Dr. Mervin St Luce, Eastern Councillor Dr. Ikechukwu Agomoh). AAFC is a key sponsor of soil research and tours featured on the CSSS site.
• SoilGPT (AI tool for Canadian soil science)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCSSS features and links SoilGPT (soilgpt.ca) as a new AI resource for Canadian soil science.
• British Society of Soil Science (BSSS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBSSS organized the 22nd World Congress of Soil Science (Glasgow, Scotland, 31 July–5 August 2022) on behalf of the IUSS, with CSSS promoting it to its members and jointly sponsoring student travel awards.
• Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSSA is listed as a sister soil science society and co-organizer of related conferences (e.g., CANVAS 2025/2026, the former ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting).

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Crop Science Society of America (CSSA): U.S. crop-science society and co-organizer of the CANVAS meeting alongside ASA and SSSA. Shares members and award ecosystems with CSSS (e.g., 2025 CSSA Early Career Award to Dr. Gurcharn Singh Brar).
• American Society of Agronomy (ASA): U.S. agronomic society that co-organizes the CANVAS annual meeting and awards programs. CSSS members (e.g., Dr. Asim Biswas) have been recognized as ASA Fellows, evidencing deep cross-society overlap in membership and awards.
• Soil Science Society of America (SSSA): Larger U.S.-based learned society for soil scientists, publisher of the Soil Science Society of America Journal and co-host of the CANVAS annual meeting. Direct counterpart and 'sister society' to CSSS, sharing journals, awards and student travel programs.

Regional players

• European Society for Soil Conservation: European learned society focused on soil conservation. Comparable peer in scope and IUSS affiliation; provides a regional reference point for CSSS's soil-health and conservation programming.
• New Zealand Society of Soil Science: New Zealand's national soil science society. A directly analogous small national learned society in the IUSS network - useful as a regional structural peer for CSSS's programming and member-service model.
• Australian Society of Soil Science: Australian national soil science society. Comparable in structure (membership, conferences, awards) to CSSS but serving Australia rather than Canada; functions as a peer on IUSS-affiliated national learned societies.

Emerging players

• Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS): International society focused on soil and water conservation. Shares substantial topical and member overlap with CSSS's Soil Health Committee and Canadian soil-carbon work.

Direct peers

• British Society of Soil Science (BSSS): UK national learned society for soil scientists that organized the 22nd World Congress of Soil Science (Glasgow, 2022) jointly with IUSS. Closest international peer to CSSS in structure, scale, and member-services model.
• Canadian Society of Agronomy (CSA): Canadian counterpart society focused on agronomy that co-hosts the 2026 'SOILS & CROPS IN FOCUS' annual meeting with CSSS at the University of Guelph. Closest Canadian peer; collaboration is the Society's flagship scale-multiplier.

Others

• International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS): Global umbrella organization for soil science societies; CSSS is a member society of IUSS and helps promote IUSS programming such as the World Congress of Soil Science and the International Decade of Soils.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutu.be/ics5rYPNjmg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canadian-society-of-soil-science

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CANADIAN SOCIETY OF SOIL SCIENCE INC.