Less-intensive Management Boosts Soil Health

Soils research published in the journal Science by the Netherlands Institute of Ecology showed that the less intensively you manage the soil, the better the soil can function. This study found that it is mainly the intensity of tillage that determines whether the soil can retain all its functions, across both organic and conventional farming systems. Management practices such as plowing less and using cover crops that contain a mixture of grasses and legumes helped promote a fully functioning soil. Researchers found the amount of organic carbon present in the soil to be the best predictor of soil multifunctionality. Rather than intensification of management, the research team suggests productive de-intensification as a desirable goal. “If it is successful, you will get more functions from a less intensively cultivated soil while retaining the crop yield as much as possible,” explains contributing researcher Kyle Mason-Jones.
Related ATTRA publication: Reducing Tillage Intensity in Organic Production Systems