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Project Code [2021EJPSOILEN307]
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Primary Funding Agency
DAFM
Co-Funding Organisation(s)
n/a
Lead Organisation
University College Dublin (UCD)
Project Abstract
Agriculture must ensure food security for all, sustainably and in the face of climate change. There is concern about the impact of farming on soil quality (losses of structural stability, soil organic carbon, biological functions), and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The most recent IPCC report (Working Group 3) identified agriculture and land use change as a comparable source of anthropogenic GHG to the energy sector, with considerable scope for mitigation. There is widespread interest in how conservation agriculture (CA) might increase the sustainability of cropping, ranging from intensive temperate systems in the global north to smallholder and subsistence production in the global south. In all, zero or minimum tillage (ZMT) is implemented to reduce the disruption of soil structure. The retention of organic residues to build soil organic carbon (SOC), and the diversification of cropping systems through rotations or intercropping are all components of CA. This project brings together researchers from Europe and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) who have been active in CA and GHG research to make a substantive contribution to the evidence base for the impact of CA practices on GHG budgets for agricultural soils. The evidence will span both temperate European systems, and systems in SSA, including smallholder production. We will use established experiments in the UK, Ireland, and Poland that include locally relevant ZMT and crop rotation interventions with conventional cultivation comparisons. Similarly, existing experiments in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi will be used. The last three sites are part of an existing network (CEPHaS, also including RR, BGS and UoN) designed to compare conventional management with ZMT and residue retention combined with other CA interventions. We shall install state-of-the art field instrumentation to measure soil GHG emissions and soil variables for plots across the experimental sites. This will provide measurements at fine-scale temporal resolution.
Grant Approved
�1,336,000.00
Research Theme
Carbon Stocks, GHG Emissions, Sinks and Management Options
Initial Projected Completion Date
31/08/2024