Soil is a vital resource increasingly under pressure

"For sustainable development it needs to be protected ”

EU Soil Protection Communication.

SOWAP will help meet this objective by promoting better management of the soil to limit soil erosion and improve levels of soil organic matter.

Soil erosion plots will be used at project demonstration sites in each country to:

• compare conventional and conservation tillage practices
• measure sediment, runoff and nutrient loss from these systems

For more information go to SOWAP and soil erosion

Soil carried away from fields by water run-off drains into streams, ditches and ponds. This results in reduced water clarity, higher levels of nutrients and pesticides and silty bottom sediments. SOWAP will study the effects of ‘conservation' tillage on

• stream biodiversity (invertebrates and plants)
• water chemistry and sediment loading

and assess other tools to reduce the burden of agricultural pollutants on freshwaters

For more information go to SOWAP and water

Key biodiversity indicators will assess the impacts of different land management practices on ecosystem sustainability. Measurements will be made of:

• foraging farmland birds in winter and in the breeding season
• seed and invertebrate food resources for birds. This will include assessments of earthworm populations which are important indicators of soil ‘health'
• soil microbial biomass and community structure and function

For more information go to SOWAP and biodiversity

Choosing how to manage soil is the result of a complex trade-off of the state of the soil, available machinery, the crop, the weather, particular pest and disease problems and the time and labour available. SOWAP will look at various options for managing a range of different soil types and the impact that these options will have on the crop.

The economic viability of any practice is very important to encouraging its adoption by farmers. SOWAP will look at the financial costs and benefits of its soil management options on farms in the project countries.

For more information go to ...