Nowadays, it is well known that the productivity, quality and ecological functioning of soils are strongly connected with soil organic matter. More in detail, soil organic matter ensures nutrients accumulation, soil pH buffering capacity, soil retention of pollutants and soil structure. Despite the known benefits related to organic matter, since the last decades of the last century, due to the excessive intensification of agricultural practice, many soils, especially in the Mediterranean regions, are characterized by a significant reduction of soil organic matter content. These areas typically present low (<= 2%) or very low (<= 1%) organic carbon content. The Communication "Towards a Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection", adopted by the European Parliament in April 2002, in order to increase soil organic carbon content, identified two typologies of C-rich input: crop residues and livestock wastes, such as compost and digestate. As pointed out by previous studies, to sustainably increase the content of soil organic matter, farmers should change their soil management practices, which often rely heavily on the application of mineral fertilizers and intensive soil tillage. This is particularly relevant in Piedmont region - northwestern Italy - where the hilly soils are characterized by very low values of soil organic matter. The present study aimed at investigating perceptions and attitudes toward the use of soil organic matter on farm in a group of agricultural operators in Piedmont. A group of farmers and farmworkers (n=46) were administered a questionnaire assessing the actual use and perceived usefulness of the adoption of soil organic matter on farm, together with economic and environmental issues related to the adoption. The results of the study show different patterns of operators' perceptions based on farm size and farm operation. Implications for targeted territorial interventions to enhance the adoption of soil organic matter are discussed.
Farmers' attitudes toward on farm adoption of soil organic matter: evidence from Piedmont region, Italy.
Federica Caffaro;Eugenio Cavallo
2019
Abstract
Nowadays, it is well known that the productivity, quality and ecological functioning of soils are strongly connected with soil organic matter. More in detail, soil organic matter ensures nutrients accumulation, soil pH buffering capacity, soil retention of pollutants and soil structure. Despite the known benefits related to organic matter, since the last decades of the last century, due to the excessive intensification of agricultural practice, many soils, especially in the Mediterranean regions, are characterized by a significant reduction of soil organic matter content. These areas typically present low (<= 2%) or very low (<= 1%) organic carbon content. The Communication "Towards a Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection", adopted by the European Parliament in April 2002, in order to increase soil organic carbon content, identified two typologies of C-rich input: crop residues and livestock wastes, such as compost and digestate. As pointed out by previous studies, to sustainably increase the content of soil organic matter, farmers should change their soil management practices, which often rely heavily on the application of mineral fertilizers and intensive soil tillage. This is particularly relevant in Piedmont region - northwestern Italy - where the hilly soils are characterized by very low values of soil organic matter. The present study aimed at investigating perceptions and attitudes toward the use of soil organic matter on farm in a group of agricultural operators in Piedmont. A group of farmers and farmworkers (n=46) were administered a questionnaire assessing the actual use and perceived usefulness of the adoption of soil organic matter on farm, together with economic and environmental issues related to the adoption. The results of the study show different patterns of operators' perceptions based on farm size and farm operation. Implications for targeted territorial interventions to enhance the adoption of soil organic matter are discussed.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
