A social learning video method: Identifying and sharing successful transformation knowledge for sustainable soil management in Switzerland

Knowledge sharing and adoption behaviour: An imperative to promote sustainable soil use and management

Biochar for sustainable soil management

Sustainable soil management is essential to prevent agricultural soil degradation and maintain food production and core soil‐based ecosystem services. Regenerative agriculture, one approach to sustainable soil management, is rapidly gaining traction in UK farming and policy. However, it is unclear what farmers themselves consider to be sustainable soil management practices, and how these relate to the principles of regenerative agriculture. Further, there is little insight into how sustainable soil management is currently promoted in agricultural knowledge and innovation services (AKIS). To address these knowledge gaps, we undertook the first national‐scale survey of sustainable soil management practices in the United Kingdom and complemented it with targeted interviews. We found high levels of awareness (>60%) and uptake (>30%) of most sustainable soil management practices among mixed and arable farmers. Importantly, 92% of respondents considered themselves to be practising sustainable soil management. However, our analysis shows that farmers combine practices in different ways. Not all these combinations correspond to the full set of regenerative agriculture principles of reduced soil disturbance, soil cover and crop diversity. To better understand the relationship between existing sustainable soil management practices in the United Kingdom and regenerative agriculture principles, we derive a “regenerative agriculture score” by allocating individual practices among the principles of regenerative agriculture. Farmers who self‐report that they are managing soil sustainably tend to score more highly across all five principles. We further find that sustainable soil management messaging is fragmented and that few AKIS networks have sustainable soil management as their primary concern. Overall, our study finds that there are multiple understandings of sustainable soil management among UK farmers and land managers and that they do not correspond to regenerative agriculture principles in a straightforward way. This diversity and variety in sustainable soil management needs to be taken into account in future policy and research.

Summary In times of climate change and increasing societal needs, the pressure on land is unprecedented. Sustainable soil and land use management is only achievable if stakeholders from sectors concerned work together. The aim of the project INSPIRATION (Integrated spatial planning, land use, and soil management esearch action) was the integration of science and interdisciplinary research fields to develop a strategic research agenda (SRA) for sustainable land use and soil management in Europe. This article presents the Austrian perspective and contribution to the SRA, highlights the findings of the project, and identifies the most urgent research needs addressing key societal challenges. The project followed a bottom-up, multi-stakeholder approach to enable an evidence-based collation process of interdisciplinary research needs. Through expert interviews, reviews of state-of-the-art documents, and public involvement, six key research topics of the most pressing research needs in Austria were identified. This Austrian contribution to the SRA is characterized by the need for a communication frame and knowledge transfer among research, policy, and society. A compatible knowledge transfer is pivotal to establish an understanding of shared responsibilities among all stakeholders.

There has been relatively little research on the psychological mechanisms of social learning. This may be due, in part, to the practice of distinguishing categories of social learning in relation to ill-defined mechanisms (Davis, 1973; Galef, 1988). This practice both makes it difficult to identify empirically examples of different types of social learning, and gives the false impression that the mechanisms responsible for social learning are clearly understood. It has been proposed that social learning phenomena be subsumed within the categorization scheme currently used by investigators of asocial learning. This scheme distinguishes categories of learning according to observable conditions, namely, the type of experience that gives rise to a change in an animal (single stimulus vs. stimulus-stimulus relationship vs. response-reinforcer relationship), and the type of behaviour in which this change is detected (response evocation vs. learnability) (Rescorla, 1988). Specifically, three alignments have been proposed: (i) stimulus enhancement with single stimulus learning, (ii) observational conditioning with stimulus-stimulus learning, or Pavlovian conditioning, and (iii) observational learning with response-reinforcer learning, or instrumental conditioning. If, as the proposed alignments suggest, the conditions of social and asocial learning are the same, there is some reason to believe that the mechanisms underlying the two sets of phenomena are also the same. This is so if one makes the relatively uncontroversial assumption that phenomena which occur under similar conditions tend to be controlled by similar mechanisms. However, the proposed alignments are intended to be a set of hypotheses, rather than conclusions, about the mechanisms of social learning; as a basis for further research in which animal learning theory is applied to social learning. A concerted attempt to apply animal learning theory to social learning, to find out whether the same mechanisms are responsible for social and asocial learning, could lead both to refinements of the general theory, and to a better understanding of the mechanisms of social learning. There are precedents for these positive developments in research applying animal learning theory to food aversion learning (e.g. Domjan, 1983; Rozin & Schull, 1988) and imprinting (e.g. Bolhuis, de Vox & Kruit, 1990; Hollis, ten Cate & Bateson, 1991). Like social learning, these phenomena almost certainly play distinctive roles in the antogeny of adaptive behaviour, and they are customarily regarded as 'special kinds' of learning (Shettleworth, 1993).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Reducing poverty and attaining zero hunger and adequate nourishment are critical concerns con-fronting agronomic planners globally. Enhancing various agronomic methods, which significantly impact crop growth and output, is urgently required to achieve this objective. Soil deterioration has transpired globally due to soil pollution, eroding, salinity, and acidity. The intense farming practices devoid of sustainable practices have resulted in deteriorating soil quality, destruction of land, and significant environmental issues. Future initiatives to feed the expanding population should focus on enhancing agricultural output within sustainable ecosystems. Creative measures are essential in this context since conventional policies are insufficient to address these difficulties. The work pro-posed Sustainable Soil and Crop Management Practices (SS-CMP) to boost Crop Productivity (CP) and Soil Properties (SP). This includes Nutritional Management (NM), Location-Specific Nutrient Management (LSNM), Comprehensive Nutrition Management (CNM), Comprehensive Fertility Management (CFM) for soil, Comprehensive Soil-Crop Governance (CSCG), Sustainable Water Use (SWU), Agricultural Conservation (AC), Sustainable Soil Management (SSM), vertical cultivation, combined CMP, breeding methods, and additional methodologies amalgamated with scientific and behavioral modifications. Minimizing the use of substances, including herbicides and pesticides, and enhancing the effectiveness of agricultural supply use might reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GGE) and safeguard biodiversity. SS-CMP offers potential benefits for humanity and the World, and its success relies on the collaboration of both rich and developing countries to pursue a shared vision of producing more food with less ecological impact.

Sustainable management of soil is a benchmark of organic and sustainable agriculture. A research on economic impact of sustainable soil management practices on tomato production in Dhading district of Nepal was carried out in 2012 where sustainable soil management (SSM) program was successfully launched for five years. Altogether, 60 tomato producers were selected randomly for the study. Primary data were obtained using pre-tested semi-structured interview schedule, focus group discussion and key informant interview. Per ropani expenditure on seed, manure and average cost in tomato production were found significantly increased whereas, cost of chemical fertilizers, cost of pesticides and total cost were significantly decreased after the adoption of SSM practices as compared to before adopting SSM practices. Gross margin was higher by NRs.1472.31 compared to before SSM practices. Similarly, B: C ratio was significantly higher by 0.32 after using SSM practices whereas, return to scale was 1.098 and 0.719 for after and before adopting SSM practices respectively. Cobb-Douglas production function revealed human labor and organic manure for after SSM practices and seed including organic manure for before SSM practices as the significant factors determining tomato production. All the resources were not utilized to optimum economic level in tomato production and for optimum allocation human labor, expenditure on seed and organic manure is required to increase by 42.1 per cent, 64.1 per cent, 79.6 per cent respectively whereas, expenditure on chemical inputs is required to decrease by 137.1 per cent. For healthy soil and environment and achieving sustainable production and quality product farmers were adopting SSM practices.

Sustainable soil and land management which is vital for security of natural resources and food production is a complex task due to the wide range of parameters influencing soil quality and health (1,2). Various parameters, including climatic variables such as precipitation, evaporation, and, in coastal regions, sea level rise and saltwater intrusion (3), hydrogeological factors like groundwater table levels influencing evaporative fluxes (4), groundwater salinity, and soil properties as well as anthropogenic factors such as fertilization and land use, play important roles in sustainable soil management and health. In this study, we gathered diverse climatic, hydrogeological, and anthropogenic data within an intensive food production and natural preservation study area situated in North Sea adjacent northern Germany to explore the complex interplay of parameters affecting soil health and characterize the impact of these variables on sustainable soil management. The area is characterized by predominantly flat terrain with fertile soils utilized for agriculture and grazing. Additionally, it contains protected areas such as forests. Due to significant variations in land use and soil properties across the region, we categorized the area into subgroups for robust comparability. This involved dividing the region into agricultural, grassland, and forest areas, each identified by specific characteristics, such as crop production, meadow type, fertilization method, and soil nutrient holding capacity. Additional parameters including precipitation, evaporation, and leakage were factored into a groundwater recharge model for the area. Statistical analysis and machine learning algorithms were employed to assess the interrelations among these parameters affecting sustainable soil management. Recognizing these interrelations, we adapted our model to potential future scenarios and discussed how hypothetical alterations to parameters such as groundwater recharge and added fertilizer could impact land management in the study area. Our findings are applicable to areas employing similar land management practices, offering insights into the vulnerabilities and potentials of these regions in the face of a changing climate and are useful for implementing mitigation measures against land degradation and preventing the loss of fertile soil. 1. Hassani, A., Azapagic, A., Shokri, N. (2020). Predicting Long-term Dynamics of Soil Salinity and Sodicity on a Global Scale, Proc. Nat. Sci., 117(52), 33017-33027, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.20137711172. Hassani, A., Azapagic, A., Shokri, N. (2021). Global Predictions of Primary Soil Salinization Under Changing Climate in the 21st Century, Nat. , 12, 6663. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26907-33. Nevermann, H., Gomez, J.N.B., Fröhle, P., Shokri, N. (2023), Land loss implications of sea level rise along the coastline of Colombia under different climate change scenarios, Clim. Risk Manag., 39, 100470, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2022.100474. Sadeghi, M., Shokri, N., Jones, S.B. (2012). A novel analytical solution to steady-state evaporation from porous media. Water Resour. Res., 48, W09516, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012WR012

An abundance of soil organic carbon (SOC) generally enhances the quality of lands for agriculture or forestry. Concentration of SOC varies in accordance to the type of land use, the inputs to the soil, and natural factors including climate and vegetation. SOC is vital for sustaining agricultural productivity which chiefly depends on both the inherent soil type and crop management practices affecting depletion or replenishment of organic matter over the years. Assessment of SOC concentration is a characteristic measurement of evaluating soil quality and the carbon sequestration potential of agricultural land. This study aims to assess SOC distribution on selected farmlands of Nepal’s mid-hills, where farmers have adopted sustainable soil management practices in non-irrigable hill terraces (“Bari” land) in comparison with those of surrounding Bari and forests where no such interventions are made. Thus the present study estimated SOC content of three types of land use – farmland with sustainable soil management practices (SSMP), farmland without sustainable management practices (Non-SSMP) and the community managed forest in four mountain districts of Nepal, namely Baglung, Dhading, Kavre and Okhaldhunga. This study found the average SOC stocks in the SSMP land in the range of 20 - 44 Mgha-1,those in non-SSMP agricultural areas 15 to 48 Mgha-1, and in the forested land 16 to 23 Mgha-1. In general, the abundance of SOC stocks are in the order of SSM>Non-SSM>Forests. The analysis indicates the high potential for carbon sequestration in hill agriculture lands through sustainable soil management. Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 13, No. 1 (2012) 133-141 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v13i1.7452

Educational institutions operating in a knowledge economy are faced with two important challenges: they will need to radically change their educational systems to meet the demands inherent in a knowledge economy and they will need to develop their own adaptive capabilities in order to be able to continuously adjust to their dynamic environments. These challenges may be addressed using a learning strategy, where 'collective learning' plays an essential role. This social type of learning might arise when the members of a collective collaborate and consciously strive for common learning and/or working outcomes. The present study  consisting of a survey study, a case study and a game simulation  focuses on the value of this type of learning for teacher teams in Universities of Applied Sciences. Results of the survey study show that 'collective learning' is positively related to 'social individual learning', a form of learning where an individual interacts with others to improve the quality of his or her work, to realize change, and/or to accomplish personal goals. Likely, the more proficient people in a teacher team are at learning individually through social interaction, the more proficient the team is at learning collectively. As such, collective learning processes might benefit from developing the social individual learning processes taking place within the team. Organizations can facilitate individuals' and teams' learning by providing a structure, a culture, and a leadership style supportive of learning. Results of the survey study and the case study provide support for a positive relationship between a transformational leadership style and the level of 'collective learning' and 'social individual learning' taking place in a team; both types of social learning seem to be fostered by a transformational leadership approach. Furthermore, results suggest a positive relationship between such approach and teams' innovativeness. Overall, results indicate the relevance of a transformational leadership style for stimulating teachers' social learning in the context of educational innovation, as well as for the success of the innovation project itself. Finally, results of the case study and the game simulation support the hypothesized positive relationship between 'collective learning' and teams' innovativeness and performance.

Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) practices have tended to reduce the use of fertilizer pesticides, and maximal tillage, but rely more on crop rotation, crop residues, animal manure, green manure, leguminous, appropriate mechanical control or minimal tillage to optimize soil conservation activity. The purpose of this article was to identify socio-economic characteristics of farmers regarding adoption of sustainable soil management by wheat farmers in Modares Watershed Region of Khuzestan Province, Iran. The employed research method was correlative-descriptive. Wheat farmers in this region were the target population for this study. A random sample of wheat farmers selected (N =1185, n=293). An indicator for analysis of Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) has been developed for determining level of soil sustainability of wheat farmers. According to survey results, 15.8% of respondents reported their sustainability to be unsustainable, approximately 59.2% of respondents reported their sustainability to be moderate, and remains were sustainable. According to survey results, correlation between socio-economic characteristics such as income, land size, level of mechanization, social participation, social status, crop yield, rate of loan and sustainable soil management (SSM) Index was significant. Also there was significant relationship between personal characteristics such as level of education, technical knowledge, perception of farmers and sustainable soil management (SSM) Index. Liner regression used for predict changes in level of SSM Index. Income, level of education, social participation, social status, crop yield, level of mechanization and technical knowledge of farmers may well explain for 81% changes (R 2 =0.81) in level of SSM Index.

Social learning is gaining popularity as a tool for understanding and designing interactions between experts and farming communities to enhance the uptake of sustainable and innovative farming practices. To date, the literature has mainly focused on the technical role scientists and researchers play in social learning, as sources of or co‐producers of knowledge. Social learning, however, implies a dynamic between the creation of knowledge (what can be done) and the creation of meaning (what is considered worth doing). This paper addresses this research gap by exploring the roles that “expert” actors and their narratives perform in meaning‐creation. I argue that a sustainable soil management community of practice is emerging in England and discuss the dynamics of farmer participation in this community. I further argue that members of this community use scientific “experts” and narratives to inspire, justify and legitimise sustainable soil management as a valid way of being a “good farmer.” This paper thus stresses the role that scientific or “expert” actors and narratives play in communities of practice as contributors to meaning‐creation inherent to social learning. How soil degradation will be addressed is as much a technical question, a question of what can be done, as a question of meaning, a question of what land managers consider worthwhile doing. The scientific community thus needs to work with the farming community not only to co‐produce technical solutions, but also to co‐produce shared visions of agrarian futures which put soils at their heart.

Conservation practices such as sustainable soil management (SSM) and no-tillage may increase production and productivity, which may help reduce food insecurity in household levels. Koirala et al. (2014) showed that the SSM practices have a high positive impact on food security and income in Ramechhap, Nepal. However, the impact of the SSM practices on food security and income were highly overestimated. Further, they did not explain how the impact of other factors on household food security and income are held constant to evaluate the impact of the SSM practices. This paper argues that the estimate of the impact of SSM practices on food security by Koirala et al. (2014) is highly upward biased due to the same unobserved factors affecting participation on the SSM practices and food security. This study shows an alternative method: an endogenous treatment effects model, which correctly estimates the impact of the SSM practices on food security. In addition, some issues that may affect food security and income measures associating with data collection are discussed. Int. J. Soc. Sci. Manage. Vol-3, issue-2: 81-86

Sustainable soil use and management: An interdisciplinary and systematic approach

Purpose– Temporary and permanent decline in the productive capacity of the land due to natural and human-induced activities such as soil erosion, changing cropping practices and less use of organic matter (OM) has been the greatest challenge faced by mankind in recent years, particularly in the hills and mountains of Nepal. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of sustainable soil management practices to mitigate desertification process in the hills of Nepal.Design/methodology/approach– Promotion of sustainable soil management (SSM) practices through a decentralised agriculture extension approach by involving all the stakeholders in a participatory way.Findings– SSM practices mainly: OM management, fodder and forage promotion, increased biomass production systems, integrated plant nutrition systems, and bioengineering for soil and water conservation are identified as the most appropriate and relevant technologies in mitigating the desertification process without deteriorating land quality, particularly conserving the top-soils effectively and efficiently in the hills and mountains of the country.Research limitations/implications– This research is focus on the overall effect of SSM practices due to time and budget constraints. There is scope for doing research on the different aspects of SSM practices and the extent of their effect on different soil parameters (chemical, biological and physical).Practical implications– SSM interventions clearly indicated that there is significant impact in increasing soil fertility, conserving fertile top-soils and mitigating physical, chemical and biologic desertification processes. These are possible through maintaining and improving the soil organic matter, which is the most important indicator for soil health. SSM practices have resulted in an increase of up to 30 per cent in crop yield compared to yields without SSM practices. This might be due to the improvement in SOC which improves soil texture, increases nutrient supply from organic source and conserves water quality, thus, improving soil quality.Social implications– This has created awareness among farmers. Hence, farmers are mitigating pH through increased use of organic manures, where there is less availability of agriculture lime and they are far from road access.Originality/value– SSM practices significantly contributes to combat soil desertification in the hills of Nepal.