Increasing Soil Organic Matter Levels for Sustainable Development
Introduction
Increasing soil organic matter levels through applications of farmyard manure can significantly improve soil oxygen levels, nitrogen use efficiency, and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Importance of Soil Management
The flow of organic carbon through soil plays a crucial role in soil structure, oxygen availability, nitrogen use, and microbial activity. How soils are managed directly impacts the production capacity of arable systems, highlighting the relevance of SDGs.
World’s Longest-Running Experiment
Data from the Rothamsted Broadbalk winter wheat trial, the world’s longest-running experiment since 1843, investigates the long-term effects of inorganic and organic fertilizers on soils. The experiment reveals various benefits of annual applications of farmyard manure:
- Arable soils amended with farmyard manure exhibit more extensive and connected pore networks compared to inorganically fertilized arable soils.
- Pore networks in soils receiving farmyard manure are more oxygenated, resulting in reduced gaseous nitrogen losses, increased nitrogen use efficiency, and improved farm performance.
- Annual additions of farmyard manure to arable land result in soil organic carbon and nitrogen levels resembling unmanaged woodland and grassland, despite disturbance by inversion tillage.
- Soils receiving low organic inputs have a poorly connected pore state, with reduced oxygen levels and higher gaseous losses of nitrogen as nitrous oxide.
The Role of Soil Pores
The development of networks of connected pores is the real driver of soil health. Soil pores smaller than the diameter of a human hair are responsible for important soil functions such as water holding capacity, delivery of oxygen and nutrients, and positive biological activity which builds biomass.
Oxygen and Nitrogen Use Efficiency
Oxygen is essential for improving nitrogen use efficiency. In poorly structured soils with low organic matter levels, certain populations of soil microbes have evolved alternative methods of respiration in the absence of oxygen. This leads to nutrient depletion, hydrogen sulphide, and nitrous oxide emissions from soil. Applying nitrate fertilizers to anoxic soils can reduce nitrogen use efficiency and contribute to greater nitrous oxide losses.
Microbial Populations
Soil environments are influenced by genetic populations of soil micro-organisms. Managing soils in a way that encourages plenty of soil oxygen can select for beneficial microbial populations that respire in a beneficial way for farmers and the soil itself.
The Relationship Between Carbon Sequestration and Nitrogen Use Efficiency
Carbon sequestration and nitrogen use efficiency work closely together. The carbon-to-nitrogen ratios of an individual soil do not change significantly over centuries. The more nitrogen in the soil, the more carbon can be sequestered, under the influence of microbial activity.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
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Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger
- Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
- Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture.
- Indicator 2.4.2: Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status.
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Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land
- Target 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.
- Indicator 15.3.1: Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area.
- Indicator 15.3.2: Proportion of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by protected areas, by ecosystem type.
The article discusses the importance of managing soils and highlights the benefits of using farmyard manure to improve soil organic matter levels. This aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger, which aims to ensure sustainable food production systems and improve land and soil quality. The specific targets under this goal that can be identified based on the article’s content are Target 2.4 and Target 15.3.
Target 2.4 focuses on implementing resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production while improving land and soil quality. The article mentions that applications of farmyard manure can increase soil oxygen levels, improve nitrogen use efficiency, and result in more connected pore networks in arable soils. These outcomes contribute to the achievement of Target 2.4.
Target 15.3 aims to combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, and achieve a land degradation-neutral world. The article highlights the benefits of using farmyard manure in improving soil carbon stocks, reducing gaseous nitrogen losses, and resembling unmanaged woodland and grassland in terms of soil organic carbon and nitrogen levels. These findings support the objectives of Target 15.3.
The article does not explicitly mention specific indicators for measuring progress towards the identified targets. However, Indicator 2.4.1, which measures the proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture, can be relevant to Target 2.4. Additionally, Indicator 15.3.1, which measures the proportion of land that is degraded over the total land area, can be relevant to Target 15.3.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger | Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality. | Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture. Indicator 2.4.2: Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status. |
| Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land | Target 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world. | Indicator 15.3.1: Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area. Indicator 15.3.2: Proportion of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by protected areas, by ecosystem type. |
Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.
Source: fwi.co.uk
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