Beyond Productivity: Unveiling the Soils Hidden Value in the Czech Republic
Agricultural soil is one of the most valuable natural resources in the Czech Republic. However, it is also very vulnerable to various influences, such as erosion, pollution, or climate change.
In the Czech Republic, there are about 4.2 million hectares of agricultural soil. Of this, however, only about 1,18 million hectares of land is highly productive arable land. The remaining soil is less productive. However, the conservation of agricultural land is based on its productivity under current legislation. Even though less productive soils have important ecological functions, they are considered less valuable and less protected by law.
My research focuses on how to measure and assess these ecological functions of agricultural soil. I use multi-criteria analysis for this, which allows for the consideration of multiple different factors.
The results of my research show that less productive soils in the Czech Republic have significant ecological functions. For example, they can retain more water than some others highly productive soils. This is important because healthy soils with good water retention can help mitigate the effects of drought, reduce soil erosion, and improve water quality.
In the Czech Republic, soil is evaluated based on its production function using a 100-point scale. The most productive soils are given the highest level of protection. For comparison, ecological functions were evaluated using a multi-criteria analysis and scored on a 100-point scale. The greatest differences in the ratings are shown in the graph.
My research can help to increase the protection of less productive soils in the Czech Republic. It can be used to help politicians and farmers better understand the value of these soils. The results of my research show that these soils have significant ecological functions that need to be considered when making decisions about their use.
