Sustainable soil management: Soil knowledge use and gaps in Europe

Martin Hvarregaard Thorsøe*, Saskia Keesstra, Maarten De Boever, Kristina Buchová, Frederik Bøe, Nádia L. Castanheira, Claire Chenu, Sophie Cornu, Axel Don, Julia Fohrafellner, Roberta Farina, Dario Fornara, Maria da Conceição Gonçalves, Morten Graversgaard, Olivier Heller, Erich Inselsbacher, Anna Jacobs, Sara Mavsar, Katharina H.E. Meurer, Rok MiheličLilian O'Sullivan, Mansonia Pulido-Moncada, Greet Ruysschaert, Michal Sviček, Mika Tähtikarhu, Silvia Vanino, Wieke Vervuurt, Sophie Zechmeister-Boltenstern, Lars Juhl Munkholm

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Soils are the foundation of agricultural production, ecosystem functioning and human well-being. Bridging soil knowledge gaps and improving the knowledge system is crucial to meet the growing EU soil policy ambitions in the face of climate change and the ongoing trend in soil degradation. The objective of this article is to assess the current state of knowledge, knowledge use and knowledge gaps concerning sustainable soil management in Europe. This study is based on interviews with 791 stakeholders and 254 researchers and on a comprehensive review of >1800 documents carried out under the European Joint Programme on agricultural soils. Despite differences in stakeholder groups, the conclusions are rather consistent and complementary. We identified major knowledge gaps with respect to (1) soil carbon stocks, (2) soil degradation and fertility and (3) strategies for improved soil management. Transcending these three areas, particularly the loss of soil organic carbon, peatland degradation and soil compaction, are most critical, thus, we stress the urgency of developing more models and monitoring programmes on soils. Stakeholders further report that insufficient transfer of existing soil research findings to practitioners is a hindrance to the adoption of sustainable soil management practices. In addition to knowledge production, soil knowledge gaps may be addressed by considering seven recommendations from the stakeholders: (1) raising awareness, (2) strengthening knowledge brokers, (3) improving relevance of research activities and resource allocation for land users, (4) peer-to-peer communication, (5) targeting advice and information, (6) improving knowledge access, and (7) providing incentives. We argue that filling and bridging knowledge gaps should be a priority for policymakers and the insights provided in the article may help prioritise research and dissemination needs enabling a transition to more sustainable soil management in Europe.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere13439
JournalEuropean Journal of Soil Science
Volume74
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2023

Keywords

  • EJP SOIL
  • soil health
  • soil policy
  • soil use challenges
  • stakeholder involvement
  • sustainable soil management

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