Over the past months, our 𝐒𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 team has taken a big step forward in understanding how different farming practices can improve 𝐬𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 and 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬.
To support this, in May and June, our partner Wageningen University & Research, represented by Youssef Touri, organised expert meetings to evaluate farm scenarios developed by our 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 — each aiming to improve #soilhealth, farm income, and even reduce workload.
📊 Experts from across WUR assessed the potential impacts of these scenarios based on real farm data: soil type, cropping plans, fertilisation strategies, livestock presence, and more.
🔍 A key finding? To significantly improve ecosystem services, 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 in farm management are often needed:
➡️ Small changes (like adjusting crops or fertiliser) often bring modest improvements.
➡️ Bigger transformations — like introducing #agroforestry — can have a much greater impact on soil health and bring additional benefits for farmers.
🧭 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭? We are working on a more quantitative approach to model these impacts and explore whether 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘪𝘭 = 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 — for both farmers and society.
#SoilValues #SoilHealth #RegenerativeAgriculture #SustainableFarming #EcosystemServices #Agroecology #Farmers