Report on Soil Health Management on Swiss Arable Farms and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction and Context

Soil health is the foundation of sustainable agriculture and is critical for achieving multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, agricultural soils are degrading due to inadequate management, posing a significant threat to global food security, climate stability, and biodiversity. This report summarizes the findings from a comprehensive 2024 survey of 2,728 Swiss arable farms, which documents soil management practices and decision-making during the 2022/2023 production season. The collected data provides a vital resource for analyzing current farming practices and identifying challenges to improving soil health in alignment with the SDGs.

Survey Methodology and Data Collection

Sampling and Scope

The data collection targeted farms significantly involved in arable agriculture to accurately assess soil health management. Eligible farms were required to meet the following criteria from the preceding season:

• Grew wheat.
• Farmed at least 3 hectares of arable land.
• Arable land comprised at least 20% of the total farmed area.

Core Data Components

The survey captured four core components, providing a holistic view of farm operations and their relationship with sustainable development:

1. Farm and Farmer Characteristics: Data on gender, age, experience, labour, and farm size provides socio-economic context, directly relevant to understanding demographic drivers and supporting SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
2. Soil Management Practices: Detailed records on the adoption of twelve specific practices, including reduced tillage and permanent soil cover. This information is crucial for evaluating progress towards SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).
3. Farmer Priorities and Perceptions: Insights into farmers’ priorities for soil health and their assessment of agricultural challenges, which helps identify barriers and drivers for the adoption of sustainable practices.
4. Production Data: Information on milling wheat area, yield, and input application rates, linking sustainable practices to productivity outcomes essential for SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).

Data Records Overview

Primary Survey Dataset

The main dataset contains 2,728 entries with comprehensive information across several key areas:

• Demographic Details
• Participation in Soil Health Programmes
• Adoption and Knowledge of Management Practices
• Structural Farm Characteristics
• Sources of Training and Advice
• Behavioural and Attitudinal Factors

Supplementary Datasets

The primary data is enriched with two supplementary datasets linked by a unique farm identifier:

• Wheat Production Data: Includes detailed production and input data for the 2,217 farms that cultivated milling wheat.
• Linked Secondary Data: Contains plot-level census data, including spatial, meteorological, and soil textural variables for all 2,728 farms, offering crucial environmental context.

Direct Implications for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

By linking specific soil management practices to milling wheat yields and input efficiency, the dataset provides critical evidence for developing policies that enhance agricultural productivity and ensure sustainable food production. Understanding these relationships is fundamental to achieving food security and promoting sustainable agriculture as targeted by SDG 2.

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

The data on fertiliser and pesticide use, alongside the adoption rates of resource-efficient practices like reduced tillage and precision application, directly informs progress towards sustainable production patterns. This allows for an assessment of the agricultural sector’s environmental footprint and supports the transition to more responsible production systems envisioned in SDG 12.

SDG 13: Climate Action

Agricultural soils play a crucial role in carbon sequestration. The survey’s detailed information on practices that build soil organic matter, such as the use of cover crops and organic matter addition, is vital for quantifying and promoting the agricultural sector’s contribution to climate change mitigation, a key objective of SDG 13.

SDG 15: Life on Land

The study directly addresses core targets of SDG 15 by providing extensive data on the adoption of practices designed to combat land degradation, reduce soil erosion, and improve soil biodiversity. This information is essential for protecting and restoring terrestrial ecosystems and halting biodiversity loss.

Supporting Interconnected SDGs

The dataset also provides valuable insights for other interconnected goals:

• SDG 5 (Gender Equality): The inclusion of gender data allows for analyses of the roles and decision-making power of women in the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices.
• SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): Healthy soils are essential for regulating water quality. The data can be used to model how different management practices impact nutrient runoff and water filtration, contributing to the protection of water resources.

Conclusion and Usage Notes

This comprehensive dataset on Swiss arable farming offers a unique resource for policymakers, researchers, and agricultural organizations. It enables detailed analysis of the drivers and barriers to the adoption of sustainable soil management practices. Its strong alignment with multiple SDGs makes it an invaluable tool for designing evidence-based policies and interventions that can accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable and resilient food system, both in Switzerland and internationally.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article on soil management practices on Swiss arable farms addresses several interconnected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The analysis of the text reveals connections to the following goals:

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger: The article’s central theme is sustainable agriculture and soil health, which are fundamental for ensuring long-term food production. It explicitly mentions that soil is vital for “ensuring the long-term supply of food” and collects data on “wheat yield” and “input application rates” to link practices with productivity.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: The study focuses on the adoption of sustainable farming practices, such as reduced tillage and efficient fertilizer use. This directly relates to the sustainable management of natural resources (soil) and reducing the environmental impact of food production systems. The article mentions collecting data on “input application rates” and participation in schemes for “efficient fertiliser use”.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: The article highlights the role of agricultural soils in climate change mitigation by mentioning their “carbon sequestration and storage functions.” The adoption of practices like reduced tillage and organic matter addition, which are covered in the survey, are key strategies for enhancing soil carbon sinks.
• SDG 15: Life on Land: This is a primary focus of the article. It discusses the degradation of agricultural soils due to inadequate management and the threat of soil erosion. It also mentions Swiss national policy targets to reduce “soil degradation from erosion, minimising soil organic matter breakdown and avoiding soil biodiversity loss.” Furthermore, it acknowledges soil’s role in providing “habitat for a large array of soil fauna and flora.”
• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: The article touches upon this goal by identifying one of the key ecosystem services provided by healthy soils as “the regulation of water quality and quantity flowing into water courses.” This implies that poor soil management can negatively affect water resources.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The entire study embodies the principles of this goal, particularly regarding data and monitoring for sustainable development. The article states that there is a “significant gap in large-scale data on actual soil health decisions” and that the presented dataset “fills an important gap by providing insights into the actual soil management practices” to shape “targeted and effective agricultural policies and support programs.”

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s focus, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
   • Explanation: The article is entirely focused on this target. It investigates the adoption of “twelve arable soil management practices” such as “reduced tillage, organic matter addition, crop rotation and maintaining permanent soil cover,” which are designed to improve soil health and create resilient agricultural systems. The collection of data on “wheat yield” directly relates to productivity.
2. Target 15.3: By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.
   • Explanation: The article directly addresses this target by studying practices aimed at preventing soil degradation. It notes that “agricultural soils are degrading due to inadequate soil management practice adoption” and mentions that Swiss policy aims to prevent “soil degradation from erosion” and “minimise soil organic matter breakdown.” The survey measures the uptake of practices that directly combat these issues.
3. Target 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.
   • Explanation: Soil is a critical natural resource. The study’s investigation into “soil management practices” and the collection of data on “quantity synthetic fertiliser, quantity organic fertiliser” and participation in schemes for “efficient fertiliser use” are directly aligned with promoting the sustainable and efficient use of this resource.
4. Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.
   • Explanation: The article’s mention of “carbon sequestration and storage functions” of soils connects soil health to climate mitigation. The data collected on the adoption of practices like reduced tillage provides essential information for policymakers to integrate soil-based climate solutions into agricultural policy, as the article aims to “steer the transition towards more sustainable and healthy agricultural soils in an effective and efficient manner.”
5. Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.
   • Explanation: The article links soil health to biodiversity by stating that soils provide “habitat for a large array of soil fauna and flora” and that a national target is “avoiding soil biodiversity loss.” The survey includes questions on participation in schemes for “beneficial insect strip,” which is a direct measure to support biodiversity on farms.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions or implies several specific indicators through the data it collects. These can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:

• Uptake of sustainable agricultural practices: The “detailed records of twelve arable soil management practices, including uptake extent, number of years used” is a primary indicator for Target 2.4. This measures the proportion of farms implementing resilient and sustainable methods.
• Agricultural productivity: The collection of “production data for a subset of farms cultivating milling wheat, including wheat area, wheat yield” serves as a direct indicator for Target 2.4, helping to assess the impact of sustainable practices on food production.
• Input application rates: Data on the “quantity synthetic fertiliser, quantity organic fertiliser,” and the “number of herbicide treatments, number of fungicide treatments, number of insecticide treatments” are key indicators for Targets 2.4 and 12.2. They measure the intensity and efficiency of resource use in agriculture.
• Proportion of land under sustainable management: The survey’s data on “farm size,” “wheat area,” and participation in Agri-environmental schemes like the “reduced tillage scheme” and “continuous soil cover scheme” can be used to estimate the proportion of agricultural land being managed sustainably, which is relevant to Target 15.3.
• Participation in Agri-environmental schemes: The data on farmer participation in various schemes (“Organic farming support, soil cover scheme, reduced tillage scheme, beneficial insect strip”) is a direct indicator of policy effectiveness and farmer engagement in sustainable practices, relevant to Targets 2.4, 15.3, and 15.5.
• Availability of disaggregated data for policymaking: The creation of the dataset itself, with “2,728 Swiss arable farms” surveyed and linked with “secondary plot-level census data,” serves as an indicator for Target 17.18 (enhancing the availability of high-quality, timely, and reliable data).

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: nature.com