Beleidsadvies | Projectnieuws Policy advice: No-till isn’t the only solution; mulching works; organic matter improves soil structure: what management practices can restore and strengthen Flemish and European soils?
What can we learn from more than 10,000 scientific observations over the past 100 years? CLIMASOMA provides the analysis.
Across Europe, farmers are struggling with dry summers as well as flooding caused by heavy rainfall. How can we reconcile these two extremes in a solution that benefits farmers, the climate, and the public alike? The soil—and especially how we manage it—holds the key.
ILVO water expert Sarah Garré wrote in a blogartikel voor Eos summarizes the findings of the CLIMASOMA project, which compiled thousands of scientific observations and identified three major trends.
It is important to keep the ground covered with living plants all year round.
Stopping plowing is not a silver bullet.
Adding plant matter helps the soil drain and retain water more effectively.
The researchers compiled their recommendations into two (Dutch-language) policy briefs:
- De eerste beleidsbrief outlines the project’s main conclusions and calls on European policymakers to focus on green manure crops, the addition of organic matter, and incentivizing reduced tillage in general (as opposed to the current heavy emphasis on reducing plowing). However, they also highlight the importance of context and the unique characteristics of fields, regions, soils, and farmers.
- The second policy paper focuses on how policymakers should best approach and implement these measures. The importance of context is emphasized once again, and advice is provided on how policymakers can engage with farmers, thereby increasing the likelihood of implementation.
