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Why soils matters
- A european perspective
Moujahed Achouri stressed that 95%
of our food is coming from soils. He
added that, according to scientists, soil
has not been on the agenda for the
last 20 years, while it is increasingly
endangered, and so he believes it is
now good news to have it back on the
political agenda.
He explained the FAO’s work and
strategy in the Global Soil Partnership.
In this regard, the FAO supports the ‘4
for 1000’ initiative, launched in France
at the COP21. The overall objective of
this initiative is to reach a 4‰ annual
increase in soil carbon stock that
can store 75 % of GHG emissions.
Following his presentation, Mr
Achouri answered questions from the
audience, in particular on the use of
fertilisers in Africa to rebuild soils, and
on Climate Smart Agriculture and the
FAO’s view on whether industry might
highjack the initiative.
On the use of fertilisers Mr Achouri
considered that fertilisers are not a
problem per se; rather it is the way
they are used that might turn into
a problem. Most of the time, the
information on how much product
should be used and when, and the
kind of product being used is missing.
It is a lack of information that should
be addressed, not the use of fertilisers
as such.
On CSA, Mr Achouri explained that the
FAO sees this initiative as a way to put
‘intelligence’ into agricultural practices
to counter climate change. CSA is a
way to include agriculture as a solution
for climate change, rather than a
problem.
Proceedings of the Conference
There is no waste in nature (…)
Any kind of organic waste is
used several times over.’
Hans Joachim Mautschke
Fertilisers are not a problem as such;
it is the way they are used that might
turn into a problem.’
Moujahed Achouri
Hans Joachim Mautschke,
Organic farmer managing the Bioland
farm “Gut Krauscha”, Germany.
H.J Mautschke runs the Gut Krauscha-Bioland farm in East
Germany.
He implements climate-friendly practices on his farm as
part of the EU-funded LIFE project SOLMACC (managed by
IFOAM EU), in which 12 organic farms in Sweden, Germany
and Italy implement four different climate-friendly practices.
Mr. Mautschke explained his farm’s role in the SOLMACC
project, which works throughout different climate zones.
They apply innovative techniques that demonstrate con-
cretely how soil and climate benefit from organic farming.
In this respect, H.J Mautschke explained how, in his 40 ha
farm, organic farming is an essential tool to ease humus
accumulation, provide higher nitrogen fixation of legumes,
reduce soil erosion and greenhouse gases and, in the
longer term, increase carbon stocks in soil and plant
mass. Originally the soil in the area was quite poor and
sandy brown, with cereals as the traditional crops. But
the Bioland farm has since decided to go for innovative
methods, and focuses in particular on 3 practices which
enhance climate protection: firstly, crop rotation, with use
of a high proportion of clover (clover was always used as
inter-crop in the area); secondly, agroforestry, to preserve
soil quality and optimise compost management; and
thirdly, closing the cycle efficiently by recovering areas for
grazing and for use in arable land.
Moujahed Achour
Director Land & Water Division,
Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO)