Additional comments

This practice is described in the WOCAT Global Database on Sustainable Land Management (SLM) and the EU-iSQAPER (Interactive Soil Quality assessment in Europe and China for Agricultural productivity and Environmental Resilience) project facilitated the documentation/evaluation of the technology.



To foster dissemination, WOCAT (the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies) documents and assesses land management practices contributing to restoring degraded land, and to preventing and reducing land degradation (Link to the website at the beginning of this page).



WOCAT was founded in 1992. In early 2014, WOCAT was officially recognized by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) as the primary recommended database for the reporting on SLM best practices and adaptation measures. A new 10 year strategy was launched in 2020 and will guide the WOCAT 2020+ initiative and network in advancing Sustainable Land Management and putting it to scale.   

Additional information

When shifting from conventional farming to organic farming one of the major challenges is to avoid the use of chemicals for fertilising or to control weeds, pest and diseases. As an alternative, an amendment with sheep manure distributed under the dripping points of the irrigation system has been tested with excellent results in lemon orchards.



The holes are about 0,2x0,4m and 0,2m deep and the spacing between the holes is about 1m. The manure is distributed in the holes and it slowly enters the soil, aided by the flow of irrigation water. Although the treatment is applied only once per year around March, several long-lasting benefits on these Mediterranean soils have been reported. Apart from increasing the content of nutrients and organic matter, it directly contributes to a better soil structure which improves the water infiltration and reduces the runoff and flood impacts. Also drought impacts decrease due to the higher soil moisture.



It should be noted that before deciding to change to organic farming, this testing orchard was managed with inorganic fertilisation and intensive ploughing. Nowadays this the organic amendment, together with other practices put in place such as leaving pruning remains to cover the soil surface or reducing tillage or weeding, have drastically improved soil quality and even increased the production of lemons.