Experts discuss soil health in DCZ TALKS webinar

Healthy soils are the foundation of sustainable and climate-friendly agri-food systems. Building on a previous symposium about the conservation and sustainable use of black soils in China, the 7th DCZ TALKS webinar explored sustainable soil management practices in Germany and China.

In his welcome speech, German Consul General Henrik Barkeling addressed the shared challenge of soil degradation. He stressed the importance of solutions that balance agricultural productivity with resource and soil conservation. Juergen Simon from German agri-machinery company CLAAS echoed this sentiment, highlighting the role of innovative tillage technologies in minimizing soil disturbance. Such technologies are crucial for preserving the living ecosystems that underpin healthy soils. Simon emphasized that German machinery companies, with their advanced technology and understanding of local conditions in China, are valuable partners in promoting sustainable soil management.

LIU Jie from the Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences provided insights into China’s black soil conservation efforts. He noted that China is the first country to legislate the protection of its black soils. With an annual budget of USD 70 million, black soil regions in China (located in the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, and Inner Mongolia) implement various measures, including conservation tillage, cover crops, mulching, and promoting organic fertilizers to reduce excessive reliance on chemical inputs.

LI Ying from The Nature Conservancy presented a case study illustrating practical advancements in promoting soil health in the North China Plain. Using regenerative agriculture principles, the organization has been working with local farmers to adopt conservation tillage. This involves planting wheat and corn in alternating cycles without ploughing the soil between rotations. According to LI Ying, this approach provides multiple benefits for farmers:

Lower machinery and fertilizer costs
Enhanced carbon storage in the soil
Improved climate resilience
Stable or even increased crop yields

Patrick Paziener from HORSCH shared practices employed by German farmers to improve soil health. He noted that 49% of German farmers now use conservation tillage, and 13% of farmland is planted with cover crops (in addition to the area already covered by winter crops). Many farmers are also incorporating nitrogen-fixing and other beneficial crops into their rotations. However, challenges remain, such as low economic returns for certain crops and limited infrastructure for processing them, which can hinder the adoption of wider crop rotations.

The webinar concluded with a discussion on the incentives and programs needed to encourage farmers to transition to sustainable soil management. Key recommendations included:

Education programs and demonstration farms to raise awareness and share best practices
Regular soil monitoring to track progress and outcomes
Advanced technology for efficient seeding without traditional seedbed preparation, as required for conservation tillage
Financial tools such as loans and subsidies to help farmers manage the costs and risks of adopting new practices