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Description
The implementation of this pre-defined project will help to implement resilient agricultural and other land use management practices to increase the productivity of agricultural production, ensure the sustainable use of land resources and help maintain ecosystems. Additionally, the project will contribute towards meeting international and European climate change targets and reporting requirements.
Within the project, it is planned to improve national soil data to be used for climate change policy. The implementation of the project will improve climate-related soil information, as well as the capacity of five public institutions in sustainable soil management.
The main target groups of the project are public administrations, farmers, the non-governmental sector, and the education and science sector institutions involved in the development and implementation of climate policy.
The place of implementation of the project will be based in Latvia, as well as an exchange of experience trip to Norway.
Main activities:
1. Improvement of reliable, country-specific soil information database in agricultural land;
2. Establishment of national soil carbon monitoring system;
3. Improvement of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emission calculation system.
Planed results:
- Updated historical information database for Latvian agricultural soils;
- National soil classification system updated and internationally harmonized with the United Nations Food and Agriculture organisation (FAO) World Reference Base (WRB) classification;
- Soil mapping methodology developed (1:10 000)
- Distribution of peat soils in agricultural land assessed;
- 200 soil carbon monitoring sites in agricultural land established;
- 3 GHG emission factors in drained organic soils developed;
- 10 experts trained to perform soil description and mapping according to the national and international FAO WRB classification system.
Summary of project results
Currently Latvia critically lacks up-to-date soil data necessary for sustainable soil management, that increases productivity, maintains ecosystem and contributes towards meeting international and European climate change targets and reporting requirements. The most complete best soil data is from soil mapping done from 1950s to 1990s but currently this information is inadequate and outdated. To main challenge was to improve, update, and where necessary create new soil data to assist sustainable soil management as well as strengthen the capacity of public institutions to continue providing new data in future.
The E2SOILAGRI project filled multiple gaps in available soil data and improved our understanding about soil in multiple ways. The project created a new national soil classification and mapping methodology that is harmonized with both historically used national system as well as international World Reference Base classification system. The project tackled climate change by developing a new peat soil map using the newest scientific approaches, established soil organic carbon monitoring system, and calculated emission factors for greenhouse gas emission calculation.
The information created in project benefits and will continue to benefit policy makers, public authorities, landowner, farmers, scientists and universities. Policy makers and public authorities have better soil data for decision making regarding climate change, to protect the soils and ecosystems. Landowners and farmers have improved knowledge on their soils that can be practically applied for sustainable soil management. Scientists and universities have better data to build upon and teach to others, for example, the methodologies created in the project have already been included in study programmes for students.
Summary of bilateral results
NIBIO is responsible for soil mapping in Norway and has large amount of experience with World Reference Base classification system, soil data usage, and map creation. During the project NIBIO assisted with technical expertise and evaluation of all activities to help us reach a successful outcome of the project.NIBO shared their knowledge in multiple project review reports as project was implemented as well as report on soil mapping and data in Norway.There are plans to continue bilateral cooperation in other programmes and project related to soil, especially soil carbon monitoring.