Soil & Nutrients

Summary

Soil and Nutrients
In the session "Soil and Nutrients" at the Organic Innovayion Days 2021, arranged by TP Organics in Brussel as a webininar event, alternative soil nutrients as well as peat and plastic were presented and discussed by the experts Jakob Magid from Copenhagen University (H2020 project RELACS), Anne-Kristin Løes from Norwegian Centre for Organic Agriculture (NORSØK, H2020 project Organic-PLUS) and Francis Rayns from Coventry University (Organic-PLUS). The Nitrogen use efficiency is highly variable between countries and farms​ and in the case of many farms below 60 kg N/ha. To ensure nutrient supply and avoid soil nutrient depletion, recycling of societal waste streams needs to be further developed and researched. Anne-Kristin Løes stressed that the demand for nutrients and organic matter to be applied in organic agriculture will increase significantly due to the EU Farm to Fork target of 25% organic land target by 2030. On the use of plastic and biodegradable mulch films, Francis Rayns remarked that many types of alternative materials are available, but more knowledge about treatment technologies and applications is needed. Loose mulch films also require further investigation, especially for small and medium growers. Organic farming should lead the way in phasing out the use of peat.