Sustainable Soil Management Strategies to Improve Fertility and Water Efficiency in Agriculture
Poor soil management leads to degradation and inefficient water use in agriculture. This document presents sustainable strategies to improve fertility and water retention, ensuring higher productivity and long-term sustainability. The study highlights the benefits of using organic amendments, reduced tillage, and cover crops. These techniques increase organic matter, improve soil structure, and enhance water infiltration, reducing erosion and the need for chemical inputs. Farmers can adopt these methods to improve crop yields, reduce costs, and strengthen climate resilience.
Sustainable soil management is essential for climate adaptation in agriculture. Reduced tillage, organic amendments, and cover crops enhance water retention, reduce erosion, and improve microbial biodiversity. These strategies have proven effective in Mediterranean and semi-arid systems where water is a limiting factor. Their adoption can lead to lower input costs, more stable yields, and increased crop resilience against extreme weather events. Additionally, these practices contribute to climate change mitigation by increasing soil carbon sequestration.
Additional information
Facilitating elements include availability of organic amendments, farmer training, and policy incentives for sustainable soil management. Barriersmight include initial investment costs, lack of know-how – particularly for conventional farms. Future research should focus on region-specific adaptation of these practices and their economic benefits.
Climate Farm Demo
Ongoing | 2022-2029
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Serbia