Методологичен подход за изграждане на типологията на ферми от гледна точка на здравето на почвата случаят на ЕС

[EN] Soil health is a significant problem in agriculture which demands a tailor-made approach. The study aims to develop a methodological approach for farm typology construction in terms of soil health. TUdi project, under which was made this study, aims to transform unsustainable management of soils in key cropping systems in Europe and China, developing an integrated platform of alternatives to reverse soil degradation. Thus, the focus is on small, medium, and large EU farms, which produce in the three key cropping systems – grassland, cereal-based rotation, and tree crops. It was applied principal component analysis based on which it was constructed four factors, related to soil health. The results from this analysis was used to feed up the cluster analysis together with other significant variables. The developed farm typology consists of four farm types. From practical point of view was introduced a methodology which allow to determine the type of each farm according the TUdi typology.[BG] Здравето на почвата е значим проблем в аграрната икономика, които изисква прилагането на индивидуален подход. Целта на настоящата разработка е да се предложи методология за конструиране на типология на ферми, свързана със здравето на почвата. Анализът е реализиран по проект „Tudi“, който цели трансформирането на неустойчивото управление на почвите в ключови системи в Европа и Китай, разработвайки интегрирана платформа за алтернативи за обръщане на деградацията на почвата. В тази връзка фокусът е насочен към малки, средни и големи ферми от страни, членки на ЕС, които произвеждат продукция в трите ключови системи на земеделието – зърнени култури, трайни насаждения и пасища. Използван е анализ на главните компоненти за конструирането на четири фактора, свързани със здравето на почвата. Тези фактори, заедно с други ключови променливи, са анализирани чрез клъстерен анализ за формирането на четири типа ферми. Предложен е подход за определяне на мястото на всяка една ферма в тази типология.The study was developed with the financial help of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation action under the project “Transforming Unsustainable management of soils in key agricultural systems in EU and China. Developing an integrated platform of alternatives to reverse soil degradation” – TUdi with grant agreement No 101000224.Peer reviewe

Methodological approach for farm typology construction in terms of soil health – the EU case

Soil health is a significant problem in agriculture which demands a tailor-made approach. The study aims to develop a methodological approach for farm typology construction in terms of soil health. TUdi project, under which was made this study, aims to transform unsustainable management of soils in key cropping systems in Europe and China, developing an integrated platform of alternatives to reverse soil degradation. Thus, the focus is on small, medium, and large EU farms, which produce in the three key cropping systems - grassland, cereal-based rotation, and tree crops. It was applied principal component analysis based on which it was constructed four factors, related to soil health. The results from this analysis was used to feed up the cluster analysis together with other significant variables. The developed farm typology consists of four farm types. From practical point of view was introduced a methodology which allow to determine the type of each farm according the TUdi typology

A review of existing soil monitoring systems to pave the way for the EU Soil Observatory

International audienc

Farmers' perception of soil health : The use of quality data and its implication for farm management

Preventing and reversing soil degradation is essential to maintaining the ecosystem services provided by soils and guaranteeing food security. In addition to the scientific community, it is critical to engage multiple stakeholders to assess the degree of soil degradation and mitigation strategies' impact and meet the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, European Union's Common Agricultural Policy, and other national and international goals. A semi‐structured questionnaire was distributed across countries participating in the EU Horizon‐2020 “Transforming Unsustainable management of soils in key agricultural systems in E.U. and China. Developing an integrated platform of alternatives to reverse soil degradation (TUdi).” Using farmers' associations and educational institutions as an intermediate to distribute the questionnaires was an effective strategy for gathering a high number of responses. Results from 456 responses to the questionnaire showed that farm country, size, type of agriculture, and educational level of farm managers were significantly associated with the farmers' perception of soil degradation issues. Farm size and type of agriculture were also correlated with applying a nutrient management plan. The implications of the results for soil conservation measures are discussed. Additionally, we highlight the potential of projects such as TUdi for creating collaboration networks to drive widespread adoption by farmers of technologies to reverse the degradation of agricultural soils