Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
three measurement tools are described, followed by a review of eight US
standards and twelve standards that are being developed, or have been
developed, globally. Both practice-based and metrics-based approaches that
address soil management are reviewed, followed by a general discussion of how
these standards and protocols can help us to further enhance the sustainable
agriculture paradigm. This chapter is offered at a crucial moment when there is
increasing global attention for both soils and soil research,
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part of the
renewed global interest in agriculture as we approach a population of nine
billion by 2050.
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Measurement Tools
2.1 Field to Market Initiative for Sustainable Agriculture
Led by the Keystone Center, a nonprofit US organisation that uses a
consensus-based approach to address issues in energy, environment, health
and education, Field to Market is a multi-stakeholder initiative that aims to
create targeted sustainability outcomes for USA agriculture. Field to Market
has developed a series of indicators
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for estimating land use, irrigation water
use, energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, soil loss and soil carbon and
continues to work on the development of metrics to estimate additional on-
farm environmental, economic, social and health outcomes related to the
production of corn, soy, wheat, cotton and rice.
Field to Market's Fieldprint Calculator is an online tool designed to help
producers assess how their crop production practices impact the sustainability
of their farming operations. The calculator generates a ''fieldprint'' value that
producers can compare to county, state and national averages. In terms of soil
parameters, the tool focuses on soil loss and soil carbon. The Soil
Conservation Resource metric accounts for soil losses due to wind and water
erosion, which is measured in units of soil loss in weight per year per unit of
production. The metric is based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation 2
(RUSLE2) model and the Wind Erosion Prediction System 1.0 (WEPS 1.0).
Producers are asked to enter information on field characteristics (such as soil
texture, soil erodibility, slope and slope length), tillage and crop management
practices, and whether or not structures like drainage and wind barriers or
terraces are in place. Based on these inputs, the models return values for soil
losses due to water and wind, as well as tolerable (T) soil loss due to water. The
calculator also quantifies soil carbon using a relative measure called the Soil
Conditioning Index (SCI). The SCI is an output of the RUSLE2 model and is
determined by the amount of organic matter added to the soil, field operations
and soil erosion rates. The soil carbon metric takes on a value of 21to+1. As
the value moves in a positive or negative direction away from zero, the
magnitude of the number represents the confidence in soil carbon either being
added or removed from the soil. The SCI does not measure the rate of change
in soil carbon nor is it specific to a given crop.
