ACTION Operational Group: Adaptation of agricultural soils to climate change scenarios. Conservation and carbon enhancement in woody crops
- Type Operational group
- Status Filled
- Execution 2018 -2021
- Assigned Budget 164.925,00 €
- Scope Autonómico
- Autonomous community Madrid, Comunidad de
- Main source of financing PEPAC 2014-2020
Vegetative cover crops, whether chemically or mechanically cut, increase soil organic carbon content, primarily in the top 10 cm of soil. Pending analysis of data from the most recent campaign (2021), previous results indicate that this increase averages 3.2 T/ha of C over a 30 cm depth.
Carbon sequestration by agricultural soils is an efficient and cost-effective measure to combat climate change, as well as having numerous beneficial effects on the crop and the agrosystem. In a 2020 survey of 70 Madrid farmers, more than 80% tilled their olive groves with one (46%) or several passes per year (40%), with 87% of them stating that they would be willing to try alternative management on their plots.
Regarding the objective of developing a soil degradation index in relation to organic carbon based on aerial images (from the Sentinel satellite), the model has been found to perform relatively well for gypsum soils, but not for limestone. In this regard, new parameters must be introduced into the model to improve calibration. Such an index would make it possible to identify priority areas for action in a region or county to improve the soil.
There is a global need to reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions to combat climate change and its consequences. Agricultural soils can contribute to this reduction by sequestering organic carbon, thereby increasing organic matter, which in turn improves the supply of water and nutrients to crops. An indicator will be designed to detect soil degradation and erosion intensity. For these management strategies, the impact on crop health and production will be assessed, in addition to conducting an economic analysis.
The main activities are to identify plots that are applying good soil practices and select some for testing cover crops, expanding the range of species and assessing their suitability. The soil's organic carbon content will also be determined. Furthermore, the use of cover crops will be promoted through working groups with farmers. Agro-conditionality criteria will be proposed.
To ensure the viability of farms from the perspective of soil conservation and improvement in sloping areas, promote the use of more sustainable and economically viable agricultural practices, and enhance the role of agricultural soils in the Community of Madrid as a carbon sink to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, so that improving the state of our soils contributes to the 4 per 1000 initiative.
- Coordinator/entity name: Blanca Esther Sastre Rodríguez (blanca.esther.sastre@madrid.org)
- Postal address: Finca El Encín, A2 Highway, km 38.2 (28805-Alcalá de Henares)
- Coordinator/entity email: blanca.esther.sastre@madrid.org
- Telephone: 918879488
- Blanca Esther Sastre Rodríguez (blanca.esther.sastre@madrid.org)
- Gloria Bermejo López (gloria.vao@gmail.com)
- Consolida Bionatura, S.L. (Carlos Díaz Brea) (cardibre@gmail.com)
- Bodega Qubél, S.L.(Carlos Gosálvez)(cgos@qubel.com)
- Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (José Manuel González Sancho)(vicerrectorado.investigacion@uam.es)
- UTW (Julio Díaz Hernández)(info@utw.es)
- UPA MADRID (Jesús Anchuelo)(publicidad@upa.es)
- IMIDRA (Sergio López Vaquero)(imidra@madrid.org)
- Blanca Esther Sastre Rodríguez