In the past, the lack of technologies (e.g. synthetic fertilizers) to overcome biophysical limitations has played a
central role in land use planning. Thus, landscape management and agronomic practices are reactions to local
knowledge and perceptions on natural resources, particularly soil. In the framework of the European research
project MEMOLA (FP7), the role of local farmers knowledge and perceptions on soil for the historical land
use through the spatial distribution of crops and the various management practices have been assessed in three
different areas of Monti di Trapani region (Sicily). The identification of the soil classification systems of farmers
and the criteria on which it is based, linked to the evaluation of the farmers\u2019 ability to identify and map the
different soil types, was a key step. Nevertheless, beyond the comparison of the ethnopedological classification
approach versus standard soil classification systems, the study also aims at understanding local soil management
and land use decisions. The applied methodology was based on an interdisciplinary approach, combining soil
science methods and participatory appraisal tools, particularly: i) semi-structured interviews; ii) soil sampling
and analysis; iii) discussion groups; and iv) a workshop with local edafologists and agronomists. A rich local
glossary of terms associated with the soil conditions and an own soil classification system have been identified in
the region. Also, a detailed soil map, including process of soil degradation and soil capability, has been generated.
This traditional soil knowledge has conditioned the management and the spatial distribution of the crops, and
therefore the configuration of the landscape, until the 1990s