Voices on climate: "Soil quality is under increasing pressure due to extreme weather events"

Hans-Martin Krause (left) and Markus Steffens are both long-standing FiBL researchers in the Department of Soil Sciences and jointly head the Soil Fertility and Climate group. (Photo: FiBL)

In this instalment of the "Voices on climate" series, Hans-Martin Krause and Markus Steffens, two long-standing FiBL researchers, share their views. They discuss the importance of agricultural soils in times of climate change and beyond.

Both researchers have been working for many years in the Department of Soil Sciences at FiBL in Frick, where they jointly head the "Soil Fertility and Climate" group. Markus Steffens is also a lecturer in soil science at the University of Bern. Since last year, Hans-Martin Krause has been leading the DOK trial at FiBL, which has been comparing organic and conventional farming systems for over 40 years, and teaches soil fertility at Justus Liebig University in Giessen.

Their article discusses, among other things, the important functions of soil, why soil is threatened by climate change, and their personal relationship with soil.