iSQAPER Newsletter 23 October 2017

Plenary meeting in China

In September 2017 the project partners met at a plenary meeting in Beijing. Four of the 26 iSQAPER partner institutions are Chinese and they and their case study sites are located in major agricultural regions of China. iSQAPER is making a contribution to the EU-China dialogue as we work together investigate the relations between agricultural land use (and related management practices) and soil properties and functions.

Items on the meeting agenda included work on the development of iSQAPER's major product, an app to be used on mobile devices anywhere in the world, providing location-specific soil quality information and sustainable land use management options.

Soil quality infographics

We have also started working on a series of infographics focusing on different aspects of land use and soil quality. This one, written by our partner at the University of Ljubljana, explains that producing both milk and vegetables on the same farm is a combination that works well. When manure from the cattle is ploughed into the soil it results in: increased in soil organic matter; increased soil water holding capacity; maintenance of soil productivity; increased quality and quantity of vegetables; lower inputs from inorganic fertilizers.

Please let us know if you would find it useful to have an infographic on a particular aspect of land use and soil quality (contact: isqapermedia@gmail.com)

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