AGRO interdisciplinary thematic day on Soil Health and Soil Care

Healthy soils are vital for sustainable agriculture, yet soil face significant threats that require attention. Loss of soil carbon, driven by intensive farming and inappropriate cropping systems, undermines soil health and reduces its ability to store carbon, exacerbating climate change. Soil compaction, caused by heavy machinery and overuse, limits water infiltration and root growth, impacting crop productivity and increasing the risk of waterlogging. Water and tillage erosion, as a result poor land management, removes nutrient-rich topsoil, leading to long-term declines in soil health and eutrophication of water bodies. The loss of soil biodiversity, due to pesticides, monoculture, and pollution, disrupts essential ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, pest control. Addressing these threats is crucial to protect our soils, ensuring their ability to support food production, biodiversity, and climate resilience for future generations.

In the European union a new directive on Soil Health is coming up to protect and reestablish healthy soil across Europe. Why we need to discuss opportunities and pitfalls.

We encourage presentations and posters on SOC, Erosion, compaction and soil biodiversity by also perhaps novel indicators.

IMPORTANT: if you want to present your work the deadline for registering is the 10th of February. Send an e-mail to Bodil: bohj@agro.au.dk. Please indicate if you want oral or poster presentations.

Registration

You need to register (for catering) for this event no later than 20 February. You can register here: events.au.dk/soilhealthandsoilcare