Research on Soil for the Dutch Organic Sector

The organic sector depends heavily on its soil. In the Netherlands, relatively little acreage is available per farm compared to other countries. This means that the soil has to be kept in optimal shape for production, be it vegetables, cereals, potatoes or animal feed and grassland. By 2020 the Dutch organic sector aims to use 100% organic manure on its soils.

Fertilizers and chemical control measures are not allowed in organic production. The right combination of crop rotation, soil tillage and the use of manure has to ensure long-term soil fertility. Soil management needs to support a self-healing soil system. The carbon content and ability of organic soils to sequester CO₂ from the air is important to the mitigation of climate change.

Minimal tillage has received a lot of attention in recent years. At times it has been a controversial issue in conventional agriculture. For organic farms minimal tillage seems to be a good solution, doing little damage to the soil structure and causing only minimal disruption to soil organisms. GPS techniques and other controlled traffic systems are also used to minimise damage to the soil.