How to define, measure, and manage soil health?

Koen Van Keer

ELO Biodiversity Conf, EP, Dec 2019

Key messages

1. Our soils are globally under threat, and we urgently need to

halt and reverse this negative trend.

2. SOIL HEALTH is a valuable (new) paradigm, let’s embrace it.

3. Going forward however, we need a science-based, fact-based

and consensus-driven debate on how to:

a) define;

b) measure;

c) and sustainably manage soil health.

We have many (tested) options and (technical / policy) tools

available, but there are no blueprint solutions.

Image credit: The Nature Conservancy

Image credit: John Boardman (UK)

A brief intro to Yara International

• A Norwegian-based company, established in 1905 (former “Norsk Hydro”).

• A history deeply rooted in science and innovation.

• A pioneer of hydropower and the industrial fixation of atmospheric N2.

• Going “back to the future” > “green H2-based, carbon-free” N fertilizer?

• Today, a global and leading mineral fertilizer company.

• Our ambition: to become the Crop Nutrition Company for the Future.

• Presence in > 60 countries, sales in 160 countries, 9,000 retailers.

• 17,000 Employees; > 1,500 researchers, engineers and agronomists.

• Turnover (2018): 28.5 million tonnes fertilizers, 11.6 billion Euro.

• IR&D activities: fertilizers, crop nutrition, soil health, fertigation, precision farming, NUE

(Nutrient Use Efficiency) and other environmental indicators, catalysts, environmental

solutions, green H2, / NH3, circular economy and nutrient reuse, industrial symbiosis, …

Image credit: Nel Hydrogen ASA

Facing the facts: soils are a finite resource, and are globally under threat*

Lessons from history: soils matter

“The nation that destroys its soils, destroys itself” (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

*Converging evidence:

ECA (2019); EEA (2019); EASAC (2018); IPCC (2019); IPBES (2018); Poesen (2018); WWF-UK (2018);

UNCCD (2017); JRC (2016, 2010, 2010, 2005); FAO (2015, 2011); HBS/IAAS (2015); Bower et al. (2009).

Image credits: National Geographic and USDA

Attention to soil and land degradation is not new

1930’s (US) 1960’s - 1990’s (emerging economies) Post-2015 (global attention)

“To forget how to tend the soil, is to forget ourselves” (Mahathma Ghandi)

Image credit: USDA

But today, we see a strong revival of the debate

• Multiple (new) drivers are fueling a globalizing soil debate:

− Progress in earth- and soil sciences.− Climate change (and the vital role of soil in carbon sequestration).− Better soil education, and more civil society attention towards soil.

− A growing demand for organic and local food.− The “hidden” soil footprints of our globalized agri-food systems.

− Developments in the fields of bioeconomy, biotech, biofuel, biostimulants, biological crop protection.

− Continuing and growing soil threats (a long and worrying list).− The political failure of the EU Soil Directive.

− Growing policy focus on soil health, - biodiversity, and -ecosystem services.

Image credits: FAO

“Every ton of topsoil slipping from its hillside home, beyond natural replacement levels, represents a failure of culture” (Soil and Survival )

Soil health and soil regeneration:

a new scientific and societal paradigm?

7

Soil Quality / Fertility

A reductionist perspective

(economic production)

Old drivers

Soil Health

A more holistic perspective

(planetary health)

Old + new drivers

There is a growing awareness and understanding of the vital links between soil and many of today’s global

sustainability challenges.

Image credit: W.L. Kubiëna, Atlas of Soil Profiles

What exactly is “soil health”?

• Soil health definitions vary, depending on perspectives - what do we expect from our soils?

> food, feed, fibre; biomass for biofuel and bioeconomy; built-up areas; industrial sites; roads; ports; construction

materials (sand, bricks); ceramics; quarries; landfills; and multiple ecosystem services

• Science and common sense should guide us to establish a rationale, actionable, and

broadly-acceptable soil health definition.

• Definition examples:

− Soil health is a state of soil meeting its desired range of production and ecosystem

functions as apppropriate to its environment (adapted from Wikipedia).

− Soil health is the continued capacity of the soil to function as a vital living

ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans (USDA-NRCS, 2012). Image credit: The Nature Conservancy.

Soil health is a relative and contextual concept. There are geographic, farming-systems, and socio-economic

factors to be taken into account. It is therefore challenging to define it in a policy context.

How can we measure and

evaluate soil health?

There are multiple, complementary and (fast) evolving approaches and tools:

• “Old-school” field observations and surveys (which remain essential!)

> soil surface states; soil profiles; crops and vegetation; landscape features; various in-field measurements.

• Soil (and plant) sampling and (basic/advanced) lab analysis.

• Remote- and close-range sensing tools (crop and soil). Big data and modeling.

• New methods for soil microbiological and -biodiversity assessment.

• Long-term soil monitoring and (fertilizer) trials - costly, but of chief scientific value!

• And ultimately > SOIL HEALTH INDICATORS?

Image credit: F. Le Roy and K. Van Keer

Germany (Yara; 60 y) Finland (Yara) Norway (NIBIO Fureneset; 50 y)

Long term soil and fertilizer trials are very valuable tools to study soil health dynamics

(soil carbon dynamics in particular)

UK (Rothamsted; > 150 y)

Soil health diagnosis: a wide and evolving range of tools and service providers

How to manage soil health? 2. STRATEGY

• There are no blueprint solutions, unfortunately.

• There is agriculture “in 50 shades of green”.

• Do we need all soils to be “100% healthy” (sharing vs sparing)?

• An effective soil management strategy is based on a combination of:

• sound fertilization (of soil and crop);

• “classic” best agricultural practices and soil conservation;

• agroecological (landscape) management approaches;

• new tools and technologies.

3. TOOLBOX > towards “4R Plus” soil and nutrient management?

• Basic/advanced soil and crop nutrition diagnosis - including (long-term) trials!

• Precision fertilization, big data.

• Combined and balanced use of organic and mineral fertilizers (“classic 4R principle”).

• Where needed: soil liming.

• Appropriate crop choice, in line with the local soil conditions.

• Smart crop rotations/mixtures; (N-fixing) cover crops; less monocropping.

• Smart crop residue management.

• Where needed and feasible: conservation tillage (various methods).

• Where needed: soft- or hard-engineering soil conservation structures.

• Where needed: proper drainage/irrigation.

• Integrated pest management.7.

Enabling legislation.

1.

Are these the future game-changers in the world of Soil Health and SusAg?

Green Energy & Low-Carbon N(PK) Fertilizers Circular Economy & Nutrient Recycling Big Data & Precision Farming

Responsible BioTech Agroecological Science and Approaches Innovative Business Models and Value Chain Partnerships

And last but not least: Responsible Consumption + Fair and Ethical Value Chains + Enabling Policies

General conclusions and recommendations

Technical matters

• Soils are under threat > action is needed.

• The causes and impacts of soil degradation are complex, dynamic, and

site-specific. There are many solutions but no blueprint solutions.

• Soil Health thinking is a useful paradigm shift, but it requires a sound

definition and assessment approach.

• Long-term soil trials are indispensible tools to study soil health. They

deserve more policy attention and support.

• Balanced soil and crop nutrition in combination with soil conservation

management are key principles towards improved soil health management.

SH status Generic policy approach

ExcellentFarmers delivering “outstanding” soil ecosystem services (eg in terms

of C-sequestration or biodiversity benefits) deserve to receive a

special (public and/or private) financial bonus for their efforts.

AdequateEU “cross-compliance”. Present-day farmers are expected by society

to sustainably manage their soils and lands, thereby delivering

efficient crop yields, healthy food, and “basic” soil ecosystem services.

In return for this they receive EU CAP or other types of public financial

support. This systems works, but there is always room for (soil)

improvement.Poor

DegradedContinued soil degradation cannot be tolerated. If stimulatory

measures don’t work, then controlling/restrictive measures should be

implemented (eg US 1935 Soil Conservation Act).

Policy matters

• Soil legislation remains (relative to other agri-env policy domains) rather

neglected, fragmented, and immature; at global, EU and MS levels.

• There is hence a clear need to improve soil policy tools, using a balanced mix

of stimulatory and controlling measures.

• Green finance experts argue that there is a solid business case for investing in

soil health/capital - but that payback times are slow. Tailored policies and

financial incentives are hence needed to protect or restore our soils.

• A difficult question: practice-base or result-based support schemes?Image credit: The Nature Conservancy

Selected references

• ECA - European Court of Auditors (2019). Combating desertification in the EU: a growing threath in need of more action. Special Report 33/2018.

• EASAC - European Academies Science Advisory Council (2018). Opportunities for soil sustainability in Europe. Policy Report 36.

• EEA - European Environment Agency (2019). The European environment state and outlook.

• IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2019). Special Report on Climate Change, Desertification, Land Degradation, Sustainable Land Management, Food Security, and

Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Terrestial Ecosystems. Summary for Policymakers.

• TCN - The Nature Conservancy (2019). 4R Plus. Nutrient management and conservation for healthier soils (www.4rplus.org).

• IPBES - Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (2018). The Assessment Report on Land Degradation and Restoration.

• Poesen, J. (2018). Soil Erosion in the Anthropocene: Resarch Needs. Earth Surf. Process. Landforms 43, 64 - 84

• WBCSD - World Business Council for Sustainable Developent (2018). The business case for investing in soil health.

• WWF-UK (2018). Saving the Earth. A sustainable future for soils and water.

• Moebius-Clune et al. (2016). Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health - The Cornell Framework, Edition 3.2.

• UNCCD (2017). Global Land Outlook.

• JRC (2016). Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas.

• TCN - The Nature Conservancy (2016). reThink Soil: A roadmap for U.S. Soil Health.

• FAO (2015). Status of the World’s Soil Resources.

• Heinrich-Boll Stiftung / IASS. Soil Atlas. Facts and figures about earth, land and fields.

• Govers et al. (2013). Managing Soil Organic Carbon for Global Benefits. A STAP Technical Report (GEF, Washington).

• FAO (2011). The state of the worlds’s land and water resources for food and agriculture. Managing systems at risk.

• JRC (2010). European Soil Biodiversity Atlas (in French).

• Bower et al. (2009). Land Degradation and Desertification. EP Policy Department Study PE.416.203.

• JRC (2009). Adressing soil degradation in EU agriculture: relevant processes, practices, and policies.

• JRC (2005). Soil Atlas of Europe.

• FAO/ISRIC (2004). Guiding principles for the quantitative assessment of soil degradation.

• Van Keer et al. (1998). Options for Soil and Farmer Friendly Agriculture in the Highlands of Northern Thailand. GTZ/TOB.

For more info and exchange

Koen Van Keer, PhD

Sustainability Affairs and Stakeholder Relations Expert

Strategy and Business Development

Email: koen.van.keer@yara.com

www.yara.com