University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) - Research portal
Gewählte Master / Diploma Thesis:
Ulises Ramon Esparza Robles
(2021):
Challenges and opportunities for climate-smart agricultural soil management
-a global survey.
Master / Diploma Thesis - Institut für Bodenforschung (IBF),
BOKU-Universität für Bodenkultur,
pp 0.
UB BOKU
obvsg
- Abstract:
- Population growth coupled with a changing climate exert increasing pressures on food security and soil health across the globe. Climate is a key factor determining the severity of soil threats and the effectiveness of management practices addressing them, establishing the need for site-specific solutions. New strategies developed can be valuable and adaptable to other biophysical and socioeconomic conditions. To compile information on local soil management practices and understand the distribution of soil challenges and effective agricultural practices in different climates, we conducted a global survey to which 162 soil experts in 38 countries contributed. We analyzed the perceptions of the soil experts on soil threats and management practices rated on an importance scale from 1 to 5 in tropical, arid, and temperate climates. From eight selected threats, three received the highest importance across climatic zones: organic matter decline (4.1), soil erosion (4.1), and biodiversity loss (3.9). In tropical climates, a wider use of crop diversification strategies (intercropping, crop rotations) and agroforestry (alley cropping, shade trees) is perceived. Soil experts in temperate climates considered organic inputs less effective than experts from arid or tropical climates. As opportunities for climate-smart farm management, soil experts mentioned innovative techniques: Milpa Interspersed with Fruit Trees (MIAF), Zero-Budget Natural Farming, and Agrivoltaics, which we compared and analyzed for scaling up. This study directly collects the current vision of soil researchers across the globe and highlights concerns about the performance of agricultural soil management practices for mitigating soil threats. Our investigation synthesizes priorities for research in agricultural soil management comparing three major climate groups and highlights some of the new paths towards integral climate-smart soil management.
- Beurteilende*r: Zechmeister-Boltenstern Sophie