Assessment of Benefits of Conservation Agriculture on Soil Functions in Arable Production Systems in Europe

Bhim Bahadur Ghaley, Teodor Rusu, Taru Sandén, Heide Spiegel, Cristina Menta, Giovanna Visioli, Lilian O’Sullivan, Isabelle Trinsoutrot Gattin, Antonio Delgado, Mark A. Liebig, Dirk Vrebos, Tamas Szegi, Erika Michéli, Horia Cacovean and Christian Bugge Henriksen
Additional contact information
Bhim Bahadur Ghaley: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Højbakkegård Alle 30, 2630 Taastrup, Denmark
Teodor Rusu: Department of Technical and Soil Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Taru Sandén: Department of Soil Health and Plant Nutrition, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Spargelfeldstrasse 191, A-1220 Vienna, Austria
Heide Spiegel: Department of Soil Health and Plant Nutrition, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Spargelfeldstrasse 191, A-1220 Vienna, Austria
Cristina Menta: Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy
Giovanna Visioli: Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/A, 43124 Parma, Italy
Lilian O’Sullivan: Teagasc Agriculture and Food Development Authority, Environment Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Co., Wexford Y35 Y521, Ireland
Isabelle Trinsoutrot Gattin: UniLaSalle Campus Rouen, AGHYLE UP 2018-C1013 Rue du Tronquet, 76130 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
Antonio Delgado: Department of Agroforestry Sciences, University of Sevilla, Ctra Utrera km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
Mark A. Liebig: USDA-ARS, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 459, Mandan, ND 58554-0459, USA
Dirk Vrebos: Ecosystem management research group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1c, B2610 Antwerpen, Belgium
Tamas Szegi: Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Szent Istvan University, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
Erika Michéli: Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Szent Istvan University, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
Horia Cacovean: Office for Pedologic and Agrochemical Studies, Cluj, 1 Fagului Street, 400483 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Christian Bugge Henriksen: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Højbakkegård Alle 30, 2630 Taastrup, Denmark

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: Conventional farming (CONV) is the norm in European farming, causing adverse effects on some of the five major soil functions, viz. primary productivity, carbon sequestration and regulation, nutrient cycling and provision, water regulation and purification, and habitat for functional and intrinsic biodiversity. Conservation agriculture (CA) is an alternative to enhance soil functions. However, there is no analysis of CA benefits on the five soil functions as most studies addressed individual soil functions. The objective was to compare effects of CA and CONV practices on the five soil functions in four major environmental zones (Atlantic North, Pannonian, Continental and Mediterranean North) in Europe by applying expert scoring based on synthesis of existing literature. In each environmental zone, a team of experts scored the five soil functions due to CA and CONV treatments and median scores indicated the overall effects on five soil functions. Across the environmental zones, CONV had overall negative effects on soil functions with a median score of 0.50 whereas CA had overall positive effects with median score ranging from 0.80 to 0.83. The study proposes the need for field-based investigations, policies and subsidy support to benefit from CA adoption to enhance the five soil functions.

Keywords: soil functions; conservation agriculture; conventional farming; zero tillage; environmental zones (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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