Knowledge for Development

Soil health

Soil health is a particularly pressing issue in the ACP region as tropical soils are prone to rapid degradation, but more specifically, because of declining soil fertility, salt intrusion and limited availability of arable land for agricultural production. ACP policy makers in consultation with soil and other scientists must provide measured responses to agricultural stakeholders who are faced with competing and contradictory recommendations on soil fertility management and emerging issues such as biochar for improved soil productivity and carbon trading schemes. This dossier addresses all of these issues in its collection of carefully selected publications and interesting web links. Two lead articles are also featured. In Soil Fertility in Africa by Dr. André Bationo, the complexity of and the shift in managing soil fertility, from the external input paradigm during the 1960s and 1970s to the currently accepted Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) paradigm is discussed. Dr. Bationo concludes that for investments in improving soil fertility to yield benefits - including adequate returns on investments- social, political and economic issues including output markets and the market value of farm products must be considered. Prof. Nazeer Ahmad’s article on Tropical soils with focus on West Indian soils provides an insight into Caribbean soils which are not as severely degraded when compared to other tropical regions, the exception being Haiti. Prof. Ahmad recommends that urgent attention should be paid to developing sustainable land use plans based on the capability of the Caribbean soils.

This folder on soil health has been edited by Judith Francis (CTA) and Jacqueline Sluijs (KIT). June 2009

Scientists from the LOEWE Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), the Goethe University and the ECT Oekotoxikologie GmbH, demonstrate that soil organisms in dry soil and at enhanced temperatures are more sensitive to pesticides. Singularly and combined, these factors lower the toxicity threshold of fungicides (pyrimethanil) for springtails (Collembolas), tiny hexapods that participate in essential soil functions, decomposing organic material and building up humus. Both conditions – drier soils and higher temperature – may occur more often in the future due to climate change and thus fungicide application under these conditions could further harm the soil biota essential for soil fertility.   (Phys.org, 11/09/2014) 29/10/2014
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A new research programme led by European research institutions with funding from the European Commission will help to define a policy for sustainable management of soils, with a view to adopting a legally binding Soil Framework Directive, such as exists for air and water. The Ecological Function and Biodiversity Indicators in European Soils (EcoFINDERS) programme, which launched in January 2011, brings together 22 institutional European research partners, including the University of Cambridge, to formulate how best to manage the health of soil. The goal of EcoFINDERS is to design and implement soil strategies aimed at ensuring the sustainable use of soils. (Univ. of Cambridge, 14/7/2011) 27/09/2011
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International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC – World Soil Information, Wageningen) has recently published this large report in which information needs for soil data at an increasingly fine spatial resolution are being discussed.  The need for appropriately scaled, consistent and quality assessed soil information in support of studies of food productivity, soil and water management, soil carbon dynamics and greenhouse gas emissions, and the reduction or avoidance of land degradation are first discussed. Soil variables considered most critical for current and likely future model-based assessments are identified and new cost effective measurement methods that may reduce the need for conventional laboratory methods are evaluated. The status and prospects for improving the accuracy of soil property maps and tabular information at increasingly detailed scales (finer resolution) for the world is addressed. The scope for collecting large amounts of site specific and project specific soil information, possibly through crowd-sourcing and consistently storing screening and analysing such data are discussed within the context of ISRCI's emerging Global Soil Information Facility (GSIF), together with the possible institutional implications.   GSIF-related activities are currently being embedded in global initiatives Such as the FAO-led Global Soil Partnership (GSP), GlobalSoilMap.net, the ICSU World Data System, and the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) that promote participatory approaches to data sharing. In order to consolidate its world information services, ISRIC is collaborating with national institutes and international organisation with a mandate for soil resource inventories.  http://www.isric.org/content/towards-improved-soil-information-quantification-environmental-societal-and-economic  (ISRIC, 05/2013) 13/05/2014
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This publication provides a broad framework for understanding and interpreting the soil resources of Fiji in bringing together into one document all the relevant available soil data. It describes these data in a user-friendly format designed for use by farmers, institutional extensionists, researchers, agribusiness managers, and land use planners. 30/08/2013
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Francis Issahaku Malongza Bukari, at the University of Development Studies in Ghana, investigated the nature of soil erosion on maize farms, the effects of soil erosion on maize crop farmers and the effectiveness of local control measures on output levels and the livelihoods of the farmers. The study revealed that the major effects of soil erosion were found to be the loss of fertile soils, reduction in the cultivable land area, the reduction in the crop yield and a fall in the living standards of farmers’ households. Adaptive strategies to reduce the effects of soil erosion included shifting cultivation, ridging across slopes, planting on raised mounds and avoidance of deep ploughing. Farmers who successfully applied traditional soil protection methods improved their output levels per land area and the standards of living of their families. The author recommends that modern agricultural extension services should complement, and not replace, the local knowledge systems in order to ensure sustainability in this farming region.   http://jnrd.info/2013/10/indigenous-perceptions-of-soil-erosion-adaptations-and-livelihood-implications-the-case-of-maize-farmers-in-the-zampe-community-of-bole-in-the-northern-region-of-ghana-2/  (Journal of Natural Resources and Development, 07/10/2013) 13/05/2014
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The Institute for Environment and Sustainability recently published a peer-reviewed article illustrating the application of the G2 model, a new model for understanding seasonal soil erosion dynamics. The G2 model allows for the regular mapping of soil loss estimations by land-use type on local and regional scales, and provides alternatives for the estimation of all erosion factors. It is based on moderate data input requirements; public users can download the data layers.  G2 was used in to produce seasonal erosion figures crucial for the identification of erosion hotspots and of risky land uses in the Mediterranean island of Crete.   http://ies.jrc.ec.europa.eu/news/598/155/G2-a-dynamic-soil-erosion-model.html  (EC JRC’s Institute for Environment and Sustainability, 20/11/2013) 17/12/2013
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Produced by leading soil scientists from Europe and Africa, the Soil Atlas of Africa shows the changing nature of soil across the continent. It explains the origin and functions of soil, describes the different soil types that can be found in Africa and their relevance to both local and global issues. The atlas also discusses the principal threats to soil and the steps being taken to protect soil resources. It is a key resource for scientists, practitioners and policy and decision-makers. Informed decision making is currently limited by the scarcity of up to date data on the soil resources of Africa. The JRC, in collaboration with the FAO and African soil scientists, will launch a pan-African assessment on the state of soil resources at the forthcoming conference of the African Soil Science Society in Kenya (October 2013).  (EC Joint Research Centre, 01/05/2013) 02/07/2013
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The Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD) developed and maintained by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), was adopted by the Global Soil Partnership as the definitive database for global soil analyses. Early in 2012, the USDA and Australia’s CSIRO agreed to provide new soil data from their respective countries within the next year, and plans were made for updated information from Canada, Europe, West Africa, and South Asia. (IIASA, 04/2012) 31/05/2012
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Researchers at the University of Maryland and Columbia University have developed SoilDoc, a new soil testing kit designed to test for the availability of nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, and potassium, as well as active organic matter and certain soil physical limitations. SoilDoc is lightweight enough to be used by extension agents to help them make on-farm nutrient recommendations. The raw results of the tests are sent by mobile phone to a central website where calculations are made; tailored fertiliser and organic input recommendations (following the Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) approach) are delivered back to the extension agent within minutes.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131016145359.htm   http://agriculture.columbia.edu/projects/agriculture/soildoc/    (ScienceDaily, 16/10/2013) 17/12/2013
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