A Decision Support Tool for soil erosion in agricultural fields in the European Union and China

Abstract

<p>Within the scope of the TUdi project, EU Horizon 2020 Grant Agreement No 101000224, a questionnaire was responded to by more than 400 farmers from seven countries in Europe and China, aiming to assess farmers' major concerns and develop Decision Support Tools targeted at these issues. One tool currently being developed targets soil erosion and seeks to provide farmers with publicly available historical satellite imagery in a user-friendly platform, as well as guidelines on easy-to-use methodology to assess the degree of soil erosion on the field. The questionnaires also revealed that many farmers do not use official data or digital maps to help make management decisions but are willing to apply simple tools for assessing soil degradation processes. With this, the project hopes to contribute to democratizing access to science, helping farmers – ultimately, the ones who implement soil conservation practices – to make data-driven decisions on soil management and exploring alternatives. The preliminary version of this tool will be presented at the workshop.</p><p>Research has been supported by project TUDI (European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 101000224)</p>