Summary
This report describes the development of BLN 2.0, an updated soil assessment framework for Dutch agricultural soils that evaluates soil quality in relation to five ecosystem services. Building on the predecessor BLN indicator set and the Open Soil Index, the framework presents an improved, cost-effective methodology for integral soil quality assessment applicable at both individual field and national scales. The approach addresses sustainable soil management's relevance to soil quality, environmental conditions, groundwater and surface water, circular economy, and biodiversity.
Regional applicability
This study was conducted in the Netherlands and specifically addresses Dutch agricultural soil conditions and policy contexts. The BLN 2.0 methodology may have some transferability to other temperate European farming systems with similar soil types and climatic conditions, though adaptation would likely be necessary for application in United Kingdom contexts where different soil classifications and regulatory frameworks apply.
Key measures
Soil quality indicators assessed across five ecosystem services; field-level and national-level assessment metrics
Outcomes reported
The study presents BLN 2.0, an improved methodology for assessing agricultural soil quality in relation to five ecosystem services at both field and national scales. The framework integrates previous soil indicator sets with insights from the Open Soil Index and recent scientific evidence to enable cost-effective and accessible integrated soil quality evaluation.
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