Research project
Improving Soil Health and Water Quality through increased farmer awareness and adoption of best management practices
- Start date: 1 June 2022
- End date: 30 March 2026
- Value: £700,000
- Partners and collaborators: Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute Ulster University
- Primary investigator: Professor Julia Martin-Ortega
- Co-investigators: Dr Paula Novo, Professor Pippa Chapman, Dr Cheng Wen
- External co-investigators: Dr. Rachel Cassidy, Afbi Mr. Alex Higgins, Afbi Prof. Phil Jordan, Ulster University
The Soil Nutrient Health Scheme is the largest baseline soil sampling programme ever undertaken. The £37M DAERA funded scheme is being managed by AFBI and due to it's scale and complexity it is being rolled out on a zonal basis in the whole of Northern Ireland. In this project, we apply interdisciplinary approaches using behavioural and catchment since to unpack the complexity of the awareness-behavioural change-water quality pathway, trying to understand how the increase of farmers awareness over soil and water quality can prompt the adoption of best farm management practices and ultimately reduce diffuse pollution from agriculture.
Publications and outputs
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2021.105397
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2021.105397
https://doi.org/10.3390/w11010029
https://doi.org/10.3390/land9050135
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112242
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.01.011
Project website
https://www.afbini.gov.uk/articles/soil-nutrient-health-scheme