Soil Health Restoration Needs Living Labs

Can soil-oriented living labs hold the key to reversing the devastating impacts of centuries of poor management?

Soils in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula are highly degraded. The main causing factors? The semi-arid climate coupled with decades of unsustainable agricultural practices preceded by centuries of irresponsible forest management.

Murcia and Almería provinces belong to the area called ‘the orchard of Europe’ but there, climate change, manifesting through droughts and short but intense rain episodes, is further threatening the soil health and the resilience of the local economy.

Fostering the transition towards a sustainable primary sector is urgent and the solutions will range from the revision of fertilization protocols, changes in soil management practices, introduction of more adapted species, abandonment of highly resource-demanding crops, among many others.

The monetary cost of such major changes will be very high, implying that the availability of proven and economically sustainable solutions is a necessary condition for farmers’ associations and local administrations to strongly promote needed measures.