“The soil is a non-renewable natural resource, and therefore the care of its preservation is the role of everyone”. Looking at soil health, what does soil sampling for scientific research look like?
Our team in Serbia, led by the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Novi Sad (UNSFA), took the opportunity to produce a short video when they went to their trial to obtain soil samples. The samples they collect will be used for the analysis of the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil within the research they carry out in the project.
One of the aims of this research is to study soil health as an indicator of the value of intercrops in cropping systems. A list of soil quality indicators that are likely to be responsive to intercropping is proposed within the team involved in WP3. This list is established involving several workshops with scientists, advisors and farmers, to collect their experience. But also existing soil quality assessment tools are considered.
The selected indicators will be then tested in 5 experiments (Scotland, Zimbabwe, Sweden, Greece and Switzerland) and afterwards used in 5 Co-Innovation Case Studies where farmers have a specific interest in soil health (Scotland, Mozambique, Sweden, Greece and Serbia). The purpose of this work is to suggest management changes to maintain or enhance soil health through the use of intercropping.
Methods and videos for the use of these indicators will be produced along with a database of outcomes for their practical use. If you want to see the video, use this link or click on the video.