Soil
Given the increasing global demand for food and the challenges of climate change, sustainable soil management is becoming increasingly important to maintain soil fertility and ensure long-term agricultural productivity.
Current projects
Sustainable soil management is crucial in light of the growing global demand for food. Increasing pressure on agricultural land is leading to a decline in both the available arable land and its natural fertility worldwide, posing the risk of decreasing yields.
Climate change further intensifies these challenges through rising temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns, affecting soil erosion, water availability, and ultimately agricultural productivity. Effective soil management requires a solid foundation of geoscientific knowledge and expertise.
The Technical Cooperation projects of BGR focus on empowering local partners through the transfer of knowledge, methodologies, and analytical skills. This enables them to independently integrate data on the soil-water-plant-climate nexus into decision-making, develop and maintain reliable and accessible geospatial information systems, and conduct interdisciplinary analyses to understand complex interactions and develop holistic solutions. This approach aims to promote sustainable soil management through improved soil analysis, soil assessment, and resource modeling under climate change constraints, while supporting scientifically sound decision-making and policy development.
Equipped with these capabilities, project partners are able to independently develop and implement policies that effectively balance the needs of resource conservation, biodiversity preservation, and economic development. This contributes to mitigating the impacts of climate change while ensuring long-term food security and environmental sustainability.