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project - EIP-AGRI Operational Group

MOSOEX Improvement soil organic matter, sustainable management of extensive systems

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Completed | 2020 - 2022 Spain
Completed | 2020 - 2022 Spain

Objectives

To promote an innovative model of soil management for arable crops, based on a catalog of measures, whose main objective is the improvement of soil organic matter and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, related with European policies against climate change and the 4 per 1000 initiative.

Activities

Creation and start of the operating group. Methodological strategy. Initial Programming. Analysis of available knowledge. Project drafting. Interconnection and coordination with other operational groups. Dissemination sessions. Training Workshops. Communication activities. Administrative justification.

Additional comments

FULL MEMBERSHIP:
MAIN PARTNERS: UNIÓN DE PEQUEÑOS AGRICULTORES Y GANADEROS. UPA / ASOCIACIÓN ESPAÑOLA DE AGRICULTURA DE CONSERVACIÓN. SUELOS VIVOS. AEACSV / SOLID FOREST SL / UNIVERSIDAD POLITÉCNICA DE MADRID. UPM / INSTITUTO NAVARRO DE TECNOLOGÍAS E INFRAESTRUCTURAS AGROALIMENTARIAS (ÁREA AGRÍCOLA). INTIA. / CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTÍFICAS CSIC, ESTACIÓN EXPERIMENTAL DE AULA DEI (EEAD) 

Project details
Main funding source
Rural development 2014-2020 for Operational Groups
Rural Development Programme
2014ES06RDNP001 España - Programa Nacional de Desarrollo Rural
Emplacement
Main geographical location
Madrid
Other geographical location
Córdoba, Navarra

EUR 497232.42

Total budget

Total contributions from EAFRD, national co-financing, additional national financing and other financing.

Project keyword

Ressources

8 Practice Abstracts

The final result of the project was the production of practical documents for farmers. These documents were intended to group the knowledge accumulated over the execution period. They emphasized the need to improve the knowledge of the farm itself in relation to: Soil type. Texture, organic matter content, nutrient availability, are essential elements to improve crop productivity and care for the condition of the soil. Crop rotation. Type and depth of tillage. Crop nutrition. Seed bank present in the soil. The objectives pursued were the following: Increase the organic matter in the soil. Reduce the seed bank in the soil. Maintain and improve the soil structure. More specifically, the main characteristics related to tillage are set out, and the need to tend towards reducing tillage with little turning of the soil or with direct sowing on stubble. It is advisable to begin the transition little by little, learning from the farm itself and turning to other farmers who are more experienced. Crop rotation should be broader, introducing species from different families, such as legumes or oilseeds, with different characteristics: taproot or nitrogen-fixing capacity.

As a result of the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this activity had to be reorganized, using videoconferencing. The programming carried out by the operational group has consisted of 26 technical sessions carried out by videoconference, which have been carried out in 7 Autonomous Communities. Andalusia, Castilla La Mancha, Castilla y León, Murcia, Madrid, Aragon and Extremadura. More than 800 participants attended these activities, where all the topics related to the project were analyzed, highlighting those that valued the soil and its knowledge, its management with sustainability criteria or the improvement in fertilization. As a result of the work carried out by all the partners of the operational group, these activities have had a great impact. Below are some examples:

https://intiasa.es/web/es/noticias/intia-participa-en-una-jornada-sobre…

https://www.agrisost.org/en/espanol-webinar-go-mosoex-aumento-de-la-mat…

As a result of the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this activity had to be reorganized, using videoconferencing. The programming carried out by the operational group consisted of 12 video visits, which were carried out in the three Autonomous Communities with the largest surface area related to the scope of the project objective: Castilla La Mancha, Castilla y León and Aragón. To carry out this activity, trips were made to the farmers' farms where video recordings were made. These videos with the opinions and comments of the farmers were the basis of the knowledge used in the video visits. On the other hand, representatives of the scientific community also recorded their videos on the importance of agricultural land and the need to carry out correct soil management. More than 500 participants attended the video visits, with the new format that was necessary due to the impossibility of making trips. With this new format, the tasks of disseminating results that were initially planned in the development of the project could be carried out.

The work carried out in collaboration with farms in the different production areas, based on the management measures selected, provided the following conclusions: There is a great diversity among the practices carried out by farmers, and there is a significant lack of training regarding the relationship between agricultural practices and the evolution of soils and their organic matter content. Changes in tillage techniques are complex and must form part of a comprehensive plan based on the acquisition of prior knowledge. Many negative experiences have been detected due to poor training. Reducing tillage greatly affects weed control. Analysis of soil management must be carried out in the medium and long term. Soil conservation techniques offer farmers advantages both in terms of soil improvement, and therefore soil productivity, and in terms of cost savings and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Fertilisation has led to an improvement in yields in recent decades, improving farm profitability. However, farmers do not have scientific advice on the correct adjustment of nutrient input, and the effects caused by incorrect application of these nutrients.

A sample of farmers was selected from the different production areas in order to obtain information about their ideas on the subject of the project. The main conclusions obtained were: 82% of farmers attach a very high value to soil, and almost 88% consider it to be the fundamental element from a production point of view. Carrying out soil analyses is essential for understanding soil and making decisions. Even so, although this is an aspect recognised by farmers, 40.2% of those surveyed do not carry out any type of analysis. Regarding organic matter content, the results corroborate the enormous poverty of agricultural soils in Spain. Of all the responses obtained, only 18.2% report an organic matter content of over 2%. It is very worrying to observe that in 30.5% of the responses the level is not even 1% and in 26.1% it is between 1 and 1.5%. Farmers without any induced response are able to list practices that could improve organic matter content, such as direct seeding, the use of organic fertilizers or the incorporation of crop residues from the previous crop. As for the most beneficial practices, farmers indicate the incorporation of crop residues from the previous crop as the most interesting practice, followed by the incorporation of legumes in the rotation of the plot and the implementation of direct seeding. 30% of respondents do not mention the existence of legumes or protein crops in their rotations.

The best agricultural practices were selected with the aim of advancing towards a more sustainable management of the soil. The list of selected practices are: Minimum tillage. Direct sowing. Crop rotation. Rationalization of mineral fertilizer. Incorporation of organic matter into the soil. Organic farming. Reducing the time with bare soil. For each of them, the key elements for their implementation were provided, as well as the main effects they have on the evolution of agricultural soils. On the other hand, the establishment of indicators that provide information on the improvement process was considered essential. A main indicator was selected (Organic Matter Content), together with a series of secondary indicators related to soil erosion, others related to the evaluation of the effect of greenhouse gases, the physical or chemical behavior of the soil or its environmental activity. Environmental indicators or those related to organic production were also identified. To carry out this work, a wide selection of associated bibliography was provided, which constituted the scientific reference base for these activities.

The enormous diversity of agronomic systems studied recommends a correct characterisation of Spanish dry lands in order to define homogeneous production zones in which different practices can be compared. The main aspects that determine the agroclimatic classification of production zones are precipitation and temperature. The map of Agroclimatic Zones of Spain has been created using geographic information systems (GIS) and the Iberian Climate Atlas (published by AEMET in 2011) which includes normal series of precipitation and temperature from 1971 to 2000, based on observation data from meteorological stations and pluviometric stations of the national networks of Portugal and Spain (GENVCE, 2011). 9 zones have been characterized with the following characteristics:Cold arid and semi-arid___(annual P ≤ 500 mm)__(April temp. ≤ 11 °C) Temperate arid and semi-arid__(annual P ≤ 500 mm)__(11 °C < April temp. < 13 °C) Warm arid and semi-arid__(annual P ≤ 500 mm)__(April temp. ≥ 13 °C) Cold sub-humid__(500 mm < annual P < 700 mm)__(April temp. ≤ 11 °C) Temperate sub-humid__(500 mm < annual P < 700 mm)__(11 °C < April temp. < 13 °C) Warm sub-humid__(500 mm < annual P < 700 mm)__(April temp. ≥ 13 °C) Cold humid__(annual P > 700mm)__(April temperature ≤ 11 °C) Temperate humid__(annual P > 700mm)__(11 °C < April temperature < 13 °C) Warm humid__(annual P > 700mm)__(April temperature ≥ 13 °C)

Contacts

Project coordinator

  • UPA

    Project coordinator

    upa@upa.es 91 554 18 70 Agustín de Betancourt nº 17, 3ª Other

Project partners

  • Asociación Española de Agricultura de Conservación. Suelos Vivos (AEAC-SV)

    Project partner

    info@agriculturadeconservacion.org 957422099 IFAPA Alameda del Obispo Avda. Menéndez Pidal s/n CÓRDOBA Research institute

  • Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas CSIC- Estación Experimental de Aula Dei (EEAD)

    Project partner

    jorgeaf@eead.csic.es 976716123 Avenida de Montañana, 1005 ZARAGOZA Research institute

  • Instituto Navarro de Tecnologías e Infraestructuras Agroalimentarias (Área Agrícola). INTIA

    Project partner

    intiasa@intiasa.es 948013040 Avda. Serapio Huici 22 edificio peritos NAVARRA Research institute

  • Solid Forest SL

    Project partner

    ivanjimenez@solidforest.com 911294374 Avda. Cerro del Águila 2, portal 5, 3-12 MADRID SME

  • Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

    Project partner

    juan.sanz@upm.es 910670431 RAMIRO DE MAEZTU, 7 MADRID Research institute