Project News
The Seventh SoilCare Newsletter is here!
The 7th SoilCare newsletter has now been published and can be downloaded HERE. This issue covers a range of topics, including:
- Plenary meeting - December 2020
- The impacts of COVID-19 on SoilCare
- Field day at Brandvall Prestgarden, Norway
- News from the UK case study
- A new policy brief exploring how soil-improving cropping systems contribute to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals
- The social factors that influence farmer’s uptake of sustainable soil-improving cropping systems
- New SoilCare SICS fact sheets
- Celebrating World Soil Day 2020
- Website relaunch: new resources for farmers, researchers and policymakers
Keep your soils alive: Caring for below-ground biodiversity using Soil-improving Cropping Systems
An interesting relationship exists between the organisms in our soil and the crops in our fields. If managed sustainably, cropping systems can nurture the creatures in the soil, which in return feed and protect the crops. In recognition of the importance of this soil biodiversity, this year’s World Soil Day (5th December) is dedicated to the theme “Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity”.
Nurturing below-ground biodiversity is a key element of the Soil-improving Cropping Systems (SICS) that are being trialled as part of SoilCare, an EU-funded research project. This project is identifying ways of improving soil health through cropping systems and techniques that benefit both the profitability of farms and the environment.
5th plenary meeting held online
The 5th plenary meeting was to be held in Budapest, Hungaria in June 2020, but could not be held due to the Covid-19 travel restrictions. Instead, a number of meetings are held online in the week of June 15th - June 19th, and the presentations given are available on the plenary meeting 5 webpage (login required). The presentations given are also available on the SoilCare ownCloud data portal.
Videos
Project Overview
Find out how we are identify and evaluate promising soil-improving cropping systems and agronomic techniques across Europe.

SICS
Discover more about cropping systems that improve soil quality and that have positive impacts on the profitability and sustainability of cropping systems.

Organic Olive Orchards
Rafael Alonso discusses the use of smart irrigation, compost and cover crops in his organic olive orchards in Spain.
Resources designed for you
Below, you will find sustainable crop production resources curated for different types of users.