Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2025
Authors
Robert BarneveldAbstract
Peat soils have been the subject of human interest for many centuries. Extraction of turf for fuel and drainage for cultivation are centuries old economic activities that have altered the environment of peat-rich landscapes. In Norway, the drainage of peat soils is mainly associated with cultivation and with attempts to facilitate wood production. The purpose of drainage is lowering the water table and thus creating favourable conditions for root development and trafficability. The shift from anaerobic to aerobic conditions causes organic material to decompose; a process that produces CO2. This process can be stopped only by restoring the water table to its original level. Peat restauration is commonly carried out by blocking or filling the open drainage ditches. The effect of restauration on the hydrology of the individual peat bog and the associated landscape is not well understood. It is the domain of contrast: hydrological connectivity is reduced, but the available pore space (for infiltration) is also reduced. The question of how peat restoration affects landscapes' ability to retain overland flow and prevent flooding downstream has yet to explored fully. Since empirical data are hard to come by, process simulation is one of the few viable options for the evaluation of peat restauration. A raster-based rainfall-runoff model is presented that approaches soil water content dynamically but not fully process-explicit. Typical raster cell dimensions are 10m, allowing for daily timesteps and basins of several hundreds of square kilometres. In the runoff phase, water is distributed instantaneously and routed through the landscape from source to river. Processes that were deemed crucial for process representativeness were included by means of simple approximations. These include snow accumulation and melt, groundwater contribution to base flow, tile drainage and lake water levels. Due to the simple, mass balance driven, groundwater level simulations of the model, the effect of restauration on runoff generation and transmissivity can be approximated. Its spatial explicitness allows for the parameterisation of individual peat restoration projects, and for the assessment of their effects at the local and catchment scales. At present, no measurements are available that can confirm or reject all of the model's results. But due to its modular structure, the model's ability to mimic moments in the hydrological cycle can be tested and improved with measurements of a variety of parameters. Due to its spatially explicit nature, the effects of peat restauration of individual bogs or broader strategies can be explored. Not only does the model provide hydrographs at points of interest, it also shows how groundwater levels changes after restauration and how peat bogs affect the wetness of neighbouring areas. The readily available geospatial data in Norway (soil, land use, terrain, etc.) in combination with the computing power of an off-the-shelf laptop computer allow for a process-based approach to landscape scale process simulation.
Abstract
Organic farming has sparked discussions about environmental sustainability, conservation, health and community involvement. In essence, it represents a broader shift in societal values, paving the way for a more sustainable and socially responsible future that includes all segments of society. This chapter thoroughly investigates the multi-faceted socio-economic impacts of organic agriculture, including economic, social and cultural dimensions. It also addresses the difficulties that farmers face when transitioning to organic farming methods and offers solutions to these difficulties. Its primary goal is to provide readers with the necessary knowledge to capitalize on the socio-economic benefits of organic farming while effectively addressing the associated challenges. The chapter focuses on how organic agriculture can promote sustainable livelihoods, boost economic well-being, and increase social and environmental resilience. It also highlights the potential of organic farming to drive long-term growth and revitalize rural landscapes.
Abstract
The literature shows that organic farming has become the centre of policies aiming to achieve sustainable agriculture due to its environmental benefits, such as increased biodiversity, reduced greenhouse emissions, etc. However, there is a gap in the literature on the productivity effects of organic farming over and above the conventional method to understand whether widely converting conventional farms pays off. The current study estimated the productivity function using a semi-parametric smooth-coefficient (SPSC) approach based on unbalanced panel data set from Norwegian dairy and crop farms during 1991 to 2020. The results show that organic farming, compared to conventional farming, increase productivity for most of the dairy farms, while for crop farms the effect is mixed. This finding suggests that organic farming for many farms can yield a productivity higher than or equal to conventional farming. However, the results depend on the farm under consideration, and there exists a large degree of heterogeneity among the farms. Likewise, the technical change is heterogeneous, indicating that some farms underwent technical progress (regress) or a neutral change during the study period. Finally, the returns to scale (RTS) are at the mean about 0.89 and 1.05 for dairy and crop farms, respectively, implying that these farms operate at a decreasing (increasing) returns to scale and can improve their productivity by decreasing (increasing) the current scale of operation.
Abstract
Case study
Authors
Theresa WeiglAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Recycling nutrients and organic matter available as waste in urban areas may close nutrient gaps and improve soil quality, but the concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are commonly higher than in mineral fertilisers. How quickly may the limits for soil quality be exceeded, and for which elements, if such materials are applied intensively? For a rough answer to this question, we used soil data from ten case farms near Oslo and Bergen (Norway) to estimate how PTE concentrations increased when the demand for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in a theoretical carrot crop produced every year was covered by compost or digestate from source-separated food waste, or composted garden waste, compared with manure from horses and poultry which are often kept in peri-urban areas. With the intensive fertilisation assumed here, the Norwegian soil quality limits for PTEs were reached within 20–85 years, and faster for soil with more organic matter since regulatory limits set by weight discriminate soils with low bulk density. The limits were reached first for Cu and Zn, which are both essential micronutrients for crop plants. The concentrations of macronutrients in the urban waste-based fertilisers were not well balanced. Rates covering the K demand would lead to high surpluses of P and N. In peri-urban vegetable growing, high applications of compost are not unusual, but more balanced fertilisation is required. The Norwegian regulations for PTEs in organic soil amendments and agricultural soil are stricter than in the EU, and do not support recycling of organic matter and nutrients from urban waste. Many materials which can only be applied with restricted amounts to Norwegian agricultural soil, may be applied according to crop demand in the EU. Growers utilising urban waste-based fertilisers intensively should monitor the soil regularly, including PTE analyses. Soil sampling should occur on fixed sampling points to reveal changes in concentrations over time. Norwegian authorities should consider a revision of the organic fertiliser regulation to support recycling of valuable organic materials. There is a need for more data on the PTE concentrations in agricultural soil and organic fertiliser materials.
Authors
Narta ElshaniAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Mansonia Pulido‐Moncada Tiffanie Faye Stone Jonna Løvlund Bach Martin Hvarregaard Thorsøe Lars J. Munkholm Valentina Baratella Silvia Vanino Roberta Farina Claire Chenu Sophie Cornu Eloïse Mason Saskia Keesstra Anke M. Herrmann Jennie Barron Bo Stenberg Klaus A. Jarosch Rok Mihelič Sara Mavsar Maria da Conceição Gonçalves Nádia Luísa Castanheira Tove Ortman Péter László David Ramler Sevinc Madenoglu Hesna Ozcan Johanna Leppälä Greet Ruysschaert Benjamin S. Gimeno Bruno Huyghebaert Raimonds Kasparinskis Grzegorz Siebielec Karolina SwiatekAbstract
ABSTRACT Implementing sustainable soil management practices to enhance soil health is a priority in research and policymaking across Europe. There is a need to identify the main soil challenges faced by different European stakeholders and the critical threats limiting the adoption of sustainable management of agricultural soils. The present study analyses stakeholders' perspectives on key soil challenges, knowledge gaps, and priorities for agricultural soil research across partner countries that participated in the European Joint Programme on Soil (EJP SOIL) 2020–2025. Two complementary stakeholder activities—a survey and a workshop—were conducted across 24 partner countries (divided into four regions: Central, Northern, Southern, and Western Europe) of the EJP SOIL consortium in 2024. Among 10 pre‐identified soil challenges, the findings highlight that maintaining or increasing soil organic carbon, avoiding soil sealing, and avoiding soil erosion are the top three priorities across Europe. However, the perceived prioritisation of soil challenges differed both between and within regions, reflecting each country's specific soil health context. Divergences in perceptions between practitioners and other stakeholder groups underscore the need to develop actions aimed at better understanding the rationale behind such discrepancies and how to overcome them. In addition, other key challenges for achieving sustainable soil management across Europe include limited funding, policy incoherencies, poor knowledge dissemination and co‐creation, and insufficient soil monitoring. Environmental factors influencing soil health, including climate change, together with governance and economic models, were perceived to be critical limitations to the adoption of sustainable management of agricultural soils. This study also emphasises the need for a diversity of engagement methods, policies, and system approaches to support a transition towards sustainable soil management. These findings underscore the need for future research agendas that focus on integrated knowledge and participatory approaches, and strategies involving societal awareness and policy alignment—key elements that have also informed broader strategies involving societal awareness and engagement towards sustainable soil management in Europe.
Authors
Berhanu Menasbo Tegegne Emiru Birhane Fasil Eregno Ståle Haaland Samuel Alemayehu Tesfamariam Teklu Gebretsadik Abraha Gebrekidan AsgedomAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered