Ökoszisztéma-szolgáltatások javítása terménydiverzifikációval a Kiskunsági-homokháton – különös tekintettel a szélerózió elkerülésére

Abstract

The destructive environmental impacts of large-scale agriculture are further aggravated by drier climate in the Danube-Tisza sand region, where soil fertility is low, water retention is very limited and groundwater levels are steadily dropping. The prevention of wind erosion is a central task in raising the level of ecosystem services. Among other related services the enrichment of the blown-sand soil with organic matter (enhancing carbon sequestration), the improvement of soil structure and water retention capacity and achieving higher soil biodiversity are major objectives. The international Diverfarming project (2017–2022) within the EU Horizon 2020 Program focussed on the impacts of crop diversification and low-input practices. In the experiments intercropping with different annual crops was investigated and its influences on some provisioning and regulating ecosystem services were evaluated in an asparagus field in Jakabszállás. Although the findings point out the decisive role of soil moisture conditions, the positive impacts of diversification are also remarkable. The local farmer agrees that crop diversification improves soil quality, but he denies that it would directly influence farm competitiveness, which is primarily dependent on the costs of fertilization, plant protection and labour. Further analyses are needed to prove the benefits of diversification through enriching soil microbial life and the possible reduction of fertilizer use while water demand is kept at a low level and the same crop quality is ensured.