ILVO is going to gear up up a sort of ' aesculapian record ' for its land parcels . All grease data point - harvest rotation , soil ferment and treatment , analyzes , yields and environmental conditions - are brought together in it . Such an integrated dataset enable a richer data mining , which may provide new insights about sustainable and climate - well-disposed soil management .

200 hectaresThe Research Institute for Agriculture , Fisheries and Food ILVO has around 200 hectare of run fields ( part of which are biologic ) for its agricultural enquiry projects and for the normal exploitation of its tryout farm . Filip De Brouwer ( ILVO ): ' Just like every sodbuster , ILVO produces every year a cultivation plan on the basis of the needs and taking into account the crop that were civilize here in the past . And every year fortune of data are pile up and update by the individual researchers . sure with the use of preciseness Department of Agriculture , the flow of information ( from the used tractors , automobile , drones , soil scan , … ) is growing exponentially . '

As long as the information is spread , the exact influence of each ingredient or action from the past on the current field operation can not be studied in full . With the soil pass ILVO therefore wants to get a all-embracing ( long - term ) panorama of the natural processes on its test fields .

Bart Vandecasteele ( ILVO ): ' We have recognize for quite some time that the history of soil direction can have a strong encroachment on the dirt circumstance of today . What you measure at one minute in one twelvemonth in term of chemic dirt make-up and nutrient balance is often not enough to excuse why the soil gives this or that particular payoff and disease or tension sensitiveness to the crops . The shot is certainly not enough to find the suit and remedy of a spatial variability . '

Gradually to automationThe first step is a digital module in which grunge analyzes , soil CAT scan , history of parcels and crop are stored . ILVO straight off will expend a multidisciplinary team : stain specialists , data managers , image and data analysts , Gi experts , crop and clime specialists .

Greet Ruysschaert ( ILVO ): ' It is an interesting scientific exercise . How do you structure such an encompassing information political platform ? Which data proves to be useful and which is not ? On what basis do we make decisions for the actual soil direction ? How do we cater access to the different users ? '

Jurgen Vangeyte ( ILVO ): ' At the same time this is an chance to build bridges to other data hubs such as for example the Geoloket of the Flemish Agriculture Department , SNapp of the VLM , satellite images or the Farm Management Systems ( FMS ) . '

ILVO reach out to administrations and organizations to join in call back about the concept of the soil passport and the practical details . The ILVO grounds can in that additional way become a test site for the Flemish agricultural sphere .

Added value ? Economical , ecological , climate melioration , useful for sector & insurance policy … It has been an ILVO creed for several class : a sound crop yield get with a level-headed soil . The realization of that program line is becoming more urgent , because one demands from the 21st century Fannie Farmer that he , economically and socially sustainable , and with less input , still accomplish rather higher and more qualitative fruit . By creating the soil pass ILVO want to show as a pioneer what you could achieve with a sassy , knowledge - based soil management .

Jeroen De Waegemaeker ( ILVO ): ' We expect a clime and ecologic add value . retrieve of carbon paper warehousing ( mitigation ) and piddle buffering ( adaptation ) . What precisely worked friendly for the build - up of carbon copy or for the urine buffering capacity ? Such questions require analyzes from an orderly digital logbook per parcel . ‘Lastly , according to ILVO , the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy ( CAP ) in 2020 is an opportunity to put grunge on the political agenda .

Kristiaan Van Laecke ( ILVO ): ' The European Commission want a more ambitious greening insurance policy and from now on grants more exemption to the member states . For us , soil caliber can therefore play a role . A healthy soil wee flora more resistant to disease and pesterer and allow important ecosystem activity such as better drainage and retentivity of water , providing a home ground for land organism , etc . A farmer who invests in good for you grunge creates a profits - win for agriculture , society and nature . It is only natural that he gets award for that . In that sense , the land passport could even become a policy prick for more sustainable ( European ) agriculture . '

reference : ILVO