Soil fertility innovation hub: selfdiagnosis and advice

Soil quality diagnostic tools are essential to assess the condition of soils, the risks involved and the remediation measures to be undertaken. However, there are many dedicated tools to choose from.

The project was launched in 2017 for a period of five years. Using a participatory approach, a network of 42 Vaudois farmers interested in soil fertility was established. The project aims to get them to reflect on their priorities for action and to identify the necessary diagnostic and advisory tools to enable farms to manage soil fertility.

Project achievements:

2017

• Analyses of the 210 plots in the network
• Humic balance of the network farms

2018

• Creation of 6 regional working circles
• Comparison of different methods of visual subsoil assessment: soil profile, mini profile with front loader, spade test
• Development of a practical guide, in collaboration with different experts, to support farmers in the creation of a soil profile

2019

• Additional soil analyses (analysis of CEC and nutrients in non-solubilised form with ammonium acetate extraction)
• Analysis of organic amendments used in the network
• Organization of three workshops on the theme of organic matter
• Creation of a specific project website to gather all the documents and tools tested

2020

• Launch of seven thematic working groups on the subjects identified as priorities: plant cover, carbon sequestration, controlled traffic farming, mechanical weeding, compaction
• Workshops with experts to develop these different themes

2021

• The activities of the various working groups continue for the second and final year in their current form

2022

• The data from the different years are synthesised in different technical-scientific communications
• The years 2022-23 allow the project to be completed with a campaign of analyses of the initial plots and the synthesis of all the activities
• In the long term, the project could lead to an association of farmers interested in soil quality

• Canton of Vaud

• Further programmes

• Proconseil

• Charles Raphaël (Department Suisse Romande)

• Wendling Marina (Department Suisse Romande)

Scientific monitoring

• Department Suisse Romande (FiBL Switzerland)