EJP SOIL Research Sustainable soil management & agricultural production

Sustainable soil management & agricultural production

Climate-smart sustainable management of agricultural soils 

This is the application of operations, practices, and treatments to protect soil and enhance its performance. It includes controlling traffic, avoiding excessive tillage, managing pests and nutrients efficiently, selecting adequate crops and rotations, keeping the soil covered, increasing diversity (crops, soil, landscape), managing irrigation efficiently, adding organic matter. 

Sustainable agriculture is the efficient production of safe, high-quality agricultural product, in a climate smart way that protects and improves the natural environment, the social and economic conditions of the farmers and local communities.

The main components of  sustainable farming: soil management, crop management, water management, disease/pest management and waste management. 

5 key principles of sustainability for food and agriculture

  • Increase productivity, employment and value addition in food systems.
  • Protect and enhance natural resources.
  • Improve livelihoods and foster inclusive economic growth.
  • Enhance the resilience of people, communities and ecosystems.
  • Adapt governance to new challenges.
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Recovery of compacted soils

Soil compaction due to agricultural vehicle traffic is recognized as one of the major threats to soil productivity, and soil ecological and hydrological functioning. This video provides an overview of the different recovery techniques: mechanical (tillage), biological (“biosubsoiling”) and natural methods.

In the past, the choice was often made to mechanically crack the compacted soil. This resulted in short-term improvement but recompaction occurred several years later. The main disadvantage of mechanical methods is that often the complete soil structure is disturbed, which strongly reduces the mechanical strength and moisture delivery capacity. Most promising for the long-term melioration of compacted arable land is the use of deep-rooting plants: biosubsoilers.

Contributing projects

Policy briefs

From Risk to Resilience: Policy challenges for Soil Erosion Control

Water-induced soil erosion is a growing concern in the EU, with climate change projections indicating a potential 13-23 % rise in erosion rates. 

The variability of soil erosion modelling techniques highlights the need for standardisation of data sets and harmonisation of model parameterisation to allow valid comparisons of policy measures. 

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has a limited effect in decreasing erosion risk, as the voluntary measures are often not well targeted to the identified erosionprone areas. 

Policymakers should advocate for targeted erosion mitigation measures and elaborate more appropriate assessment protocols including sediment connectivity modelling to improve accuracy in erosion risk assessments.

HOW TO BETTER INTEGRATE SOIL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES INTO CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION STRATEGIES

Output from the CLIMASOMA project. Identified and summarized socio-economic and political barriers and incentives for the application of soil and crop management in climate adaptation strategies. The results presented are from a stock-take of EU policies and their instruments that impact agricultural management and barriers and drivers at the farm level in relation to improving soil health and climate change adaptation. The work includes perceptions of barriers and drivers that co-determine the willingness of farmers to act and adapt to climate change

Publications

2023

2022

Sustainable environment, Soil Health, Ecosystem services & Biodiversity

Sustainable environment

Environmental agricultural sustainability is climate-smart sustainable management of agricultural soils to conserve natural resources and protect agricultural ecosystems to support health and wellbeing, now and in the future

Sustainable agriculture seeks to sustain farmers, resources and communities by promoting farming practices and methods that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities.

Sustainable agriculture causes healthy ecosystem services

Ecosystem goods and services produce the many life-sustaining benefits we receive from nature—clean air and water, fertile soil for crop production, pollination, and flood control. These ecosystem services are important to environmental and human health and well-being.

Unfortunately, human activities are destroying biodiversity and altering the capacity of healthy ecosystems to deliver this wide range of goods and services.

Agricultural ecosystems provide humans with food, forage, bioenergy and pharmaceuticals and are essential to human wellbeing. These systems rely on ecosystem services provided by natural ecosystems, including pollination, biological pest control, maintenance of soil structure and fertility, nutrient cycling and hydrological services. Agroecosystems produce a variety of ecosystem services, such as regulation of soil and water quality, carbon sequestration, support for biodiversity and cultural services.

Healthy soil, healthy life!

Soil health is defined as the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans. Healthy soil gives us clean air and water, bountiful crops and forests, productive grazing lands, diverse wildlife, and beautiful landscapes.

Healthy soil is the foundation of productive, sustainable agriculture. Managing for soil health allows producers to work with the land – not against – to reduce erosion, maximize water infiltration, improve nutrient cycling, save money on inputs, and ultimately improve the resiliency of their working land.

Components of soil health

They include carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor. Due to respiration of soil microorganisms, the air in the soil has more carbon dioxide than the air we breathe.

Examples of management practices to improve soil health:

  1. Reduce Inversion tillage and soil traffic;
  2. Increase Organic Matter Inputs;
  3. Use Cover Crops;
  4. Reduce Pesticide Use and provide habitat for beneficial organisms- biodiversity;
  5. Rotate Crops;
  6. Manage Nutrients.

Soil management practices, cropping systems, and weather conditions influence soil health. A healthy soil that is well managed can increase soil water infiltration and storage, storage and supply of nutrients to plants, microbial diversity, and soil carbon storage.

Healthy soil

Healthy soil should be a nice, dark, black color. Soil with little to no life in it looks more like dirt: brown and dry. Poor soil will turn to brown mud when it gets wet. Healthy soil absorbs moisture beautifully and should not have a muddy feel.

Unhealthy soil

Unhealthy soil doesn't have the moisture and nutrients needed to thrive, which makes it dry, crumbling, and cracked. When you pick up the dirt, it might crumble quickly in your hands or be difficult to break apart. Proper watering and irrigation will improve the soil's condition in these instances.

Videos

News articles

RICI - Access to cross-European soil science expertise

‘Resources, Infrastructure and Capabilities Inventory (RICI)’ is an online platform for policy stakeholders. RICI provides access to a pool of specialized scientists and experts at local, regional and national level across Europe. The online inventory is the ‘Yellow pages’ on expertise on soil science in relation to questions for policy matters.

Revised 27.08.2024
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Cecilie Ditte Christensen