Project description

To address these challenges, BENCHMARKS is working with 29 European case studies and stakeholders to jointly develop and evaluate a transparent, harmonised and cost-effective monitoring framework at EU, national and local levels for agricultural, forestry and urban land use.

The potential of earth observation and digital technologies (including artificial intelligence) for soil monitoring will also be considered.

As part of the project, sampling will also be carried out for three consecutive years as part of our long-term field trial in Fuchsenbigl. In this long-term field trial, the effects of different tillage methods on arable soils and crops are analysed. The trial was set up in 1988 with a randomised block design with three replicates (plot size 720 m2) in which the following tillage methods were used: Conventional tillage, Reduced tillage and Minimum tillage.

As part of BENCHMARKS, the following data is collected from the arable soils in Fuchsenbigl:

• Chemical soil data, such as pH, organic carbon (Corg), total nitrogen (Nt), plant-available nutrients (P, K), micronutrients (Cu, Mn, Zn), cation exchange capacity, etc.
• Physical soil data, such as texture, bulk density, hydraulic soil properties, etc.
• Biological soil data, such as determination of micro- and mesofauna, composition of the microbiome, nitrogen mineralisation, etc.

Based on the best science and technology, the aim is to provide a clear soil health index using indicators that are relevant to the assessment objective, applicable to the land use and logistically feasible.

In interactive workshops, the challenges and goals in agriculture were discussed with various interest groups and knowledge was exchanged. The aim is to include as many perspectives as possible in the development of an effective strategy to promote sustainable agriculture and improve soil health.

Benefits of the project

The main outcomes of the project are:

• A harmonised and cost-effective framework for measuring soil health
• An integrated soil health tool that shows the links between indicators, soil functions and ecosystem services
• Scientific underpinning of incentive schemes to promote soil health for companies in the value chain

This contribution is particularly important with regard to the further development of LUCAS Soil and the Soil Health Dashboard as part of the European Soil Observatory.