Soil

FAO launched its first ever report on "The State of Knowledge of Soil Biodiversity". The report, with the participation of Pilar Andrés as an expert, examines the potential of soil organisms in ensuring sustainable agri-food systems and mitigating climate change.

The test underway will reveal how much atmospheric carbon dioxide soil absorbs with different types of cover crops. CREAF researcher Jordi Sardans is coordinating the study.

More than 90% of Earth's agricultural land will be degraded by 2050, according to the recent article ‘Let’s #StopSoilErosion to ensure a food secure future' published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). A degraded soil is infertile and can seriously reduce its agricultural performance. Recovering the fertility of degraded land is therefore essential for a region to move towards greater food sovereignty.

The Life-Polyfarming regenerative agriculture project, coordinated by Planeses and CREAF, has recently published six videos in which they explain, in an informative tone, the agricultural and livestock techniques carried out in the pilot farm in La Garrotxa, Catalonia. These techniques aim to recover fertile and profitable soil in a way that respects the environment. 

A CREAF-led European study published in the journal Global Change Biology warns that the drought associated with climate change could reduce soil fauna diversity and slow the decomposition of leaf litter (fallen leaves, twigs, bark, etc.), potentially hindering the recycling of nutrients for plants throughout Europe.

We interviewed Sara Marañón, a postdoctoral researcher at CREAF with a Marie Curie grant. 

Once rehydrated, holm oaks have a large capacity for recovery thanks to their high adaptation to the Mediterranean climate. The release of organic compounds into the soil represents a considerable loss of carbon for the holm oak and also modifies the microbial community, which may lead to additional effects on the tree.