soil management

In this report by Alterra Wageningen UR, a new approach to maintain and improve the productive capacity of soil is highlighted. It aims to provide a balanced insight in the current state of affairs of (decreasing) soil fertility levels in relation to food security. The report provides the motivation to develop new pathways of change. »

Second article in the IYS 2015 series. Nowhere is soil fertility deteriorating as rapidly as in Africa. The looming catastrophe is attracting increasing attention but the way in which African farmers can best revitalise their land has become the subject of fierce debate. »

First article in the IYS 2015 series. Should you dig your garden or plough your fields or not? An increasing number of allotment holders and farmers have stopped tilling. It saves on hard work and soil life stays intact. But it makes things easier for fungi and weeds. »

This white paper (PDF) from AIRCA elaborates on the benefits of a landscape approach to manage synergies and trade-offs of sustainable intensification in agriculture. Landscapes encompass a diversity of interactions between people and environment, and between agricultural and non-agricultural systems. Healthy landscapes not only exhibit healthy ecosystems, but also sustain productive agriculture and communities. This paper sets »

The 68th UN General Assembly declared 2015 the International Year of Soils (IYS 2015) and nominated FAO to implement the IYS 2015, within the framework of the Global Soil Partnership and in collaboration with governments and the secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. »

This factsheet by the European Commission highlights 4 facts about soil. »