Summary
This systematic review examines soil health assessment (SHA) frameworks to identify approaches that are both accessible to farmers of varying economic capacity and applicable across diverse geographic contexts. The authors find that whilst multiple SHA approaches exist, none currently meet these broad criteria, primarily due to reliance on expensive laboratory methods and absence of locally calibrated indicator baselines and thresholds. The review concludes that the most feasible SHAs are those developed collaboratively with farmers using simple, observable indicators, and proposes future development of standardised protocols focused on sufficiency and context-relevance.
Regional applicability
The review's emphasis on developing context-specific baselines and thresholds is directly relevant to United Kingdom farming practice, where soil variability and biogeographic conditions require locally calibrated assessment frameworks rather than imported standards. The findings support the need for UK-relevant SHA protocols that account for national soil types and climate conditions whilst remaining accessible to farmers across different scales and economic circumstances.
Key measures
Assessment of soil health frameworks; feasibility criteria (cost, accessibility, logistical complexity); indicator baselines and thresholds; farmer-derived assessment methods
Outcomes reported
The study evaluated existing soil health assessment (SHA) frameworks to identify which are feasible for farmers of varying income levels and applicable across geographic contexts. The authors identified key limitations in current approaches, including reliance on expensive laboratory methods and lack of context-specific indicator baselines and thresholds.
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